Bryce Harper ignites the Phillies to topple the D’backs and return home one win from the World Series
A steal of home, a collision, and a 2-0 first-inning lead. Harper set the tone for the once-reeling Phillies to take command of the NLCS as it heads back to Philly.
PHOENIX — It wasn’t a knockout blow. Not yet. Not with one game left to win before the Phillies can punch a return ticket to the World Series.
A forearm shiver? Oh, definitely. But whatever we choose to call it, let’s agree on one thing about Bryce Harper’s first-inning dash up the third base line, which ended with his left arm smashing into Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno’s jaw.
It set a tone.
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The Phillies may claim they never suffered a crisis of confidence after back-to-back losses in the desert knotted the best-of-seven National League Championship Series. But to a man, they are unabashed believers in momentum, and going into Saturday night, they had next to none.
So there was Harper, bolting from third base like a freight train as soon as Moreno threw to second on a scripted double steal. He chugged into the catcher to open a two-run lead in an eventual 6-1 victory in a Game 5 that felt as close to a must-win as the Phillies have faced this postseason.
Go ahead and exhale. Because Harper’s teammates sure did.
“It was a huge play,” Kyle Schwarber said. “To have him come in hard and the ball kicks away like that, that’s a huge run right there.”
Said J.T. Realmuto: “That sounded like a football collision. He smoked him.”
And from left fielder Brandon Marsh: “It was a gutsy play. Harp made a heck of a read.”
Sure, the Phillies busted it open against Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen on sixth-inning solo homers by Schwarber and Harper, both of whom tied Jayson Werth’s franchise record with their 11th career postseason dingers. And yes, Zack Wheeler delivered another seven-inning gem to add to his postseason legend.
But let’s be clear: As the NLCS returns to South Philly on Monday night, with Aaron Nola on the mound for the first of two chances for the Phillies to claim their second consecutive pennant, it was Harper who pulled the season back from the brink.
As usual, his timing was impeccable.
“I just want to win. That’s it,” said Harper, the first player in the Phillies’ 141-year history to steal home in a playoff game. “Whatever that takes, whatever that’s going to be, whatever that’s going to look like.”
Game 1: Phillies 5, Diamondbacks 3 | Hayes | Murphy
Game 2: Phillies 10, Diamondbacks 0 | Hayes | Murphy
Game 3: Diamondbacks 2, Phillies 1 | Hayes | Murphy
Game 4: Diamondbacks 6, Phillies 5 | Hayes | Murphy
Game 5: Phillies 6, Diamondbacks 1 | Hayes | Murphy
Game 6: Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 1 | Hayes | Murphy
Game 7: Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 2 | Hayes | Murphy
The Phillies practice the play — a double steal with runners on first and third and two out — in spring training and run it occasionally during the season.
It works best in the earlier innings, first base coach Paco Figueroa said, because catchers are less likely to throw to second base late in games. The runner at first is the bait. After taking off from first, he’s supposed to pull up halfway to second. As soon as the throw goes to second, the runner at third breaks for home.
In this case, the Diamondbacks had two choices: Cede the run and get Stott in a rundown, or try to cut down Harper at the plate. They chose the latter. Second baseman Ketel Marte took the throw, pivoted, and threw to the plate.
» READ MORE: Hayes: Harper embellishes his Phillies legacy: Steals home, homers to spark a Game 5 NLCS win
But scoring the run hinges on one thing.
“If Bryce doesn’t run right when he’s supposed to, he gets thrown out,” Stott said. “It’s a big-time play, and he ran it perfectly.”
Stott would know. Last year, he was the runner at third on a double-steal attempt against the Mets. Once the throw went to second, he hesitated for an instant and got thrown out at home.
With Harper, there wasn’t any doubt.
“[Third base coach] Dusty Wathan told me, ‘Hey, be aggressive right here. We’re going to be aggressive in this spot.’ Knowing how good Zac is and trying to take advantage of that moment. Baseball play, big collision at the plate. Just a good position to put us in and be able to get up in that situation.”
Still, it would seem like a risky play in the first inning of Game 5 of a tied NLCS, especially since Gallen is known for being quick to the plate and Moreno has a strong arm. But the Phillies figured Moreno would throw to second. They also noticed that third baseman Evan Longoria was playing back, Figueroa said, and Harper was likely to retreat in time if Moreno pump-faked and threw to third.
So, manager Rob Thomson called the play from the dugout, and the base coaches alerted Stott and Harper that it was on.
“It wasn’t that gutsy,” Figueroa said. “It’s a play that, if it’s run well, we should be able to get the job done. And it’s a risk we’re willing to take in that situation.”
In part because of their trust in Harper.
“Yeah,” Stott said, “I knew he was going to go.”
“He is as good as they get,” Thomson said. “He might be the best I’ve been around.”
And Thomson coached Derek Jeter.
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Harper checked to make sure Moreno was in one piece, then returned to a dugout that erupted. The Phillies insisted before the game that they were upbeat. Now, there was no denying it.
“After what they did to us the last two games, they had all the momentum in the world,” Realmuto said. “We had to try to do something early in the game to get it back.”
Wheeler took it from there. With the bullpen exhausted after Game 3 and particularly Game 4, he muted the Diamondbacks for six innings, then regrouped to finish the seventh after giving up a leadoff homer to Alek Thomas.
In 26 innings over four starts this October, Wheeler has allowed a total of six earned runs for a 2.08 ERA. In 10 playoff starts over the last two years, he has a 2.48 ERA that rates with the best pitchers in team history. Only Ryan Madson (2.31), Cliff Lee (2.33), and Roy Halladay (2.37) have better marks in 30 or more postseason innings.
“I told him after the game, I was like, ‘You’re one of the best pitchers I’ve ever played with, man,’” Harper said. “I’ve played with a lot of good ones, and he’s easily top three.”
» READ MORE: Kyle Schwarber sets the tone for the Phillies with a 461-foot homer and a 5-foot single
Realmuto slugged a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, and Matt Strahm came out of that tired bullpen to record the final six outs, including a game-ending strikeout of Diamondbacks star rookie Corbin Carroll, 2-for-19 in the series.
And now, once again, the Phillies control the series.
Historically, the odds are in their favor. When a road team won Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series, it has won the series 22 of 28 times, including seven of eight times in LCS play, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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“It was a great response,” Schwarber said. “It was great that we were able to turn the page and really put all our focus and effort into this game tonight. We’re excited to get back home.”
Imagine the atmosphere when they get there.
“Electric,” Stott said. “Rowdy.”
And reinvigorated by a series-changing play.
