— How long have you been planning this? — Phillies react to Harper’s ‘iconic’ moment originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
LONDON — Bryce Harper was in the training room early Saturday afternoon when the celebration began.
If he hit home plate, he told the coaching staff, he would throw a football after it crossed home plate.
And of course he scored, as he seemingly does every time the Phillies are on a new stage, a national stage or the day after he’s been thrust into the spotlight for some kind of on-field controversy.
Not only was there the news that Saturday was the Phillies’ first game outside of North America, it was also the 15-year anniversary of Harper appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 16.
His solo shot in the fourth inning at London Stadium put the Phillies on the board and sparked the game-changing six-run rally for a 7-2 victory.
A few steps from the bench, he surprised his teammates with the football slide and they exploded.
“Iconic,” said winning pitcher Ranger Suarez.
Harper’s only fear was getting his knees stuck in the grass, a fear shared by coach Rob Thomson when he saw this. The worst-case scenario was avoided — man, that would have been a disaster — and instead, it became a moment that Phillies fans will remember for a long time.
“How long have you been planning this, friend?” Nick Castellanos said he asked Harper in the dugout.
“He’s a showman, that doesn’t surprise me. Give the European fans something.”
Every team wants to win every game, but the London Series wasn’t just another one for Harper. He said Friday that this weekend would be as much about the fans and helping grow the sport of baseball as it would be about the Phillies trying to beat the Mets.
It’s safe to say he converted some Brits, giving them an up-close taste of the highlights and swagger they saw from afar.
“It was fun to be able to get people on their feet and bring joy to them. That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “As a team, we did a great job. We all had a great time there.
“Get in the wagon. Come on, let’s take everyone. I don’t care where you’re from, who you are, what you do, I’ll take anyone you have. If you want to wear Phillies stuff, you’re part of our family, part of Philly. Just make sure you show up.”
The Phillies showed up in that fourth inning, batting and rallying for five more runs after Harper’s home run.
There were key appearances from Alec Bohm (single), Bryson Stott (walk) and Edmundo Sosa (RBI single).
Then there was the coup that Whit Merrifield had been waiting for months. Sean Manaea threw him a middle changeup at 86 mph and Merrifield sent it over the left-field wall for a three-run homer.
Thomson said he saw the blood return to Merrifield’s face after the blow.
“It was good to get some races in. I felt like I had let the whole Premier League down for the last few months,” said Merrifield. “I finally hit a good hit on a good pitch and did something good for the team. That’s what I’m here for. I haven’t done a good job so far. But we’re the best team in baseball in a historic run, so it’s a good moment to go through what I’m going through.
“It’s just the Phillies. Our lineup is deep from 1-13, not just 1-9. It’s almost an expectation with our offense. It was cool to do it here with the new atmosphere. A lot of Philly fans came here, but there are a lot of fans who aren’t familiar with the game as much as the Americans put on a good show for them, there was a good energy going on today.”
Merrifield and Taijuan Walker have been the main punching bags for Phillies fans so far in a season where almost everything has gone right. Merrifield entered the day batting .171 with just four RBI, but he’s obviously a better player than that. He began the season as a career .284 hitter, with just one season under .272.
“You always hope something like this can help you,” he said. “More than the home run, what I’m looking for is taking that sinker and hitting it into right field. Hopefully I can gain some momentum from that. There’s still a lot of season left, and really, the season starts in October, so that’s the ultimate goal.”
The Phillies thoroughly enjoyed their time in London, with some visiting famous tourist attractions, some finding highly regarded restaurants, some visiting the Philadelphia-centric Passyunk Ave sports bar, and others just relaxing. By early Saturday afternoon, though, Kyle Schwarber said they were out of tour mode and ready to win a game.
They succeeded, for the 45th time, against 19 defeats. They will enter Sunday with at least an eight-game lead over the Braves. They are as above .500 as they have been since the final day of the 2011 season. They are on pace to eclipse the franchise’s best record, 102-60, by a dozen wins.
East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, Europe, it didn’t really matter to baseball’s deepest roster.
“I think the Phillies, just being able to have moments,” Harper said. “Being able to put on a good show and show them the excitement of baseball and baseball fans. I think Philadelphia and Philadelphia fans rival a football stadium in the way it electrifies you and the way you play. It was fun to come to the lake and be able to do that in front of a fan base, I feel like this team really seizes the moment.”
