Bryce Harper reflects on becoming first Phillie to steal home in postseason: “I just want to win"
Bryce Harper's impact in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup is unparalleled. The slugger is the roster leader and he leads from the front, not just with his attitude but with his brilliant plays when needed the most. That was on display during Game 5 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Phillies had dropped two games on the bounce after traveling to Arizona. The Dbacks came from a 2-0 deficit in the series with two one-run victories in the previous two nights. Thus, Philadelphia needed a spark to keep them on the hunt.
They scored the first run with a Bryson Stott two-outs RBI single. That propelled Bryce Harper to advance to third. With runners in the corner and J.T. Realmuto at the plate, the Phillies attempted a double steal.
Catcher Gabriel Moreno threw to second base as Stott tried to steal the base but Harper stole home and had a scary collision with Moreno, who tried to gather the return throw. In the process, he became the first player in Phillies postseason history to steal home.
After the game, the 31-year-old spoke about the aggressive tactics early on that gave them the much needed victory.
“I just want to win. That's it. I mean, whatever that takes, whatever that's going to be, whatever that's going to look like. That was a big game for us.
"So that's a really good pitcher over there. He threw the ball extremely well this year. We knew we were going to have to try to get on in the best way we could and just were able to do that," Harper said.
Bryce Harper creates history with solo blast in the sixth
Bryce Harper's night had only started with the stolen base as he hit a solo blast in the sixth inning. He went back to back with Kyle Schwarber as they punted Zac Gallen for a combined total of 907 feet of distance on their flyball.
His fifth home run this postseason made him only the second player in MLB history to steal home and hit a blast, joining Randy Arozarena, who had done it in 2021.