Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Harper’s eighth inning homer allowed the Phillies to come back and come away with a clinching win in the NLCS.
Had MLB continued using their previous playoff format, the Phillies would not have even made the 2022 playoffs. They finished third place in their own division, and third place in the Wild Card standings. They were the final of the 12 teams to officially clinch their playoff spot. With a defense and bullpen known for not being the best, they were seen as a somewhat flawed team.
However, the playoff format did change, and now the Phillies are off to a World Series. Bryce Harper provided the heroics in a 4-3 Game 5 win over the Padres that gave Philadelphia the NLCS win.
The turning point of the game seemed to come in the top of the seventh inning when the Padres took the lead. Trailing 2-1, the Padres rallied with a two-run inning, thanks to a Josh Bell RBI double and a couple wild pitches from Phillies’ reliever Seranthony Domínguez, who had been dominant in the series up to that point.
However, the Phillies’ lineup is a good one, and the heart of it was due up in the eighth, when they battled back and flipped the game on its head again. After J.T. Realmuto singled to lead off the eighth, Bryce Harper stepped to the plate. After fouling off a couple pitches and working the count, Harper got something to hit on the seventh pitch of that at-bat, and did not miss.
The shot put the Phillies back in front and put them on the cusp of an NL pennant. Closer David Robertson came in for the ninth, but couldn’t totally finally things off without making it interesting. He walked two, causing the Phillies to bring in another pitcher in Ranger Suárez, who was their starter in Game 3. After a sacrifice bunt, he got a pop up to end the game and the series.
Coming into this series, a team Harper had played on had never won a series in the playoffs. He’s now won three and also provided a memorable playoff moment to clinch a World Series berth.
