It must have been painful for Bryce Harper to see the Washington Nationals win the World Series without him. His former team’s triumph occurred in 2019, Harper’s first year with the Philadelphia Phillies after signing a 13-year, $330 million contract.
But the highly-touted five-tool player is making the most of his opportunities with the Phillies, especially during the postseason. While he gets another crack at a potential World Series appearance this year, Harper has been living up to the hype during his playoff appearances for Philadelphia.
Bryce Harper has a historically high OPS
Game 2 of the 2023 National League Championship Series was Bryce Harper’s 25th playoff game with the Phillies. Standing in the way to his first-ever World Series appearance is the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team with a 5-0 playoff record coming into the NLCS.
However, the Phillies defeated the Diamondbacks in the first two games by a combined score of 15-3. While Harper showed solid performances in both matches, he’s just maintaining what he has done in the playoffs for the Phillies.
As Major League Baseball stats expert Sarah Langs tweeted:
Bryce Harper has played 25 postseason games with the Phillies
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 19, 2023
his 1.232 OPS is the 2nd-highest by any player in his 1st 25 postseason games with a franchise, behind only:
Lou Gehrig with NYY: 1.323
That’s a lofty company to be with. Gehrig, regarded as one of the best first basemen ever, won the 1934 Triple Crown. He ranks third in all-time On-Base Plus Slugging with 1.079 behind Babe Ruth (1.164) and Ted Williams (1.116).
Harper’s steady hitting against Arizona
In Game 1 of the 2023 NLCS, Harper had two runs, two RBIs, one walk, and two hits in three at-bats. He followed it up with a run, a walk, and a hit in four batting opportunities in Game 2.
His bat went silent in Game 3, getting zero hits in two tries. However, he opened up the scoring after a wild pitch by Ryan Thompson. It wasn’t enough, as Ketel Marte connected on a walk-off single.
But as he has proven in his first 25 playoff games with the Phillies, Harper keeps the squad in the game.