Phillies vs Red Sox: With in-form Bryce Harper by its side, everything is right in the world for Philadelphia
The Phillies needed this win and they did it in style. They took an already jaded Boston Red Sox to the cleaners on August 18, handing them a 13-6 loss taking their losing games tally to nine. Due credit for the win goes to a Philly-loaded Bryce Harper who struck a three-hun Homer in the seven-run sixth inning to help the team launch a counter-attack and seal it in their favor. Harper's talent was never in question. In 2019, Harper batted his 100th RBI of the season for the second consecutive year, and he was the first Phillies man to do it since Ryan Howard in 2011.
And now he's back in slambang action. Here are some numbers crunched by analyst Corey Seidman.
(i) Bryce Harper’s homer tonight was his 40th as a Phillie
(II) .270/.383/.528 in just over 750 plate appearances with Phils. He’s homered once every 18.9 PA
(iii) .279/.388/.512 with Nationals, homered once every 21.5 PA
Reactions on Twitter were positive as well. "...can we maybe start chatting about how Bryce Harper is a top 10 player in baseball again?" asked one of the fans.
...can we maybe start chatting about how Bryce Harper is a top 10 player in baseball again?
— Joe (@SlowdrawOK) August 19, 2020
"The @Phillies signed @bryceharper3 to reach his massive potential and become a consistently elite player in @MLB after already winning the 2015 NL MVP. His stats through 20+ games resemble those of legendary @BarryBonds during the early 2000s. He’s the 2020 League MVP thus far," said a fan after watching the game.
The @Phillies signed @bryceharper3 to reach his massive potential and become a consistently elite player in @MLB after already winning the 2015 NL MVP. His stats through 20+ games resemble those of legendary @BarryBonds during the early 2000’s. He’s the 2020 League MVP thus far. https://t.co/Vgvgqr5u9I
— Steve (@Steve38323) August 19, 2020
For all the talk about him being overrated, it appears Harper has shut down the critics. "Don’t look now but Bryce Harper is hitting over.365 and slugging close to .700.Got ripped to shreds earlier when I felt his skills far exceeded Bellinger& Yelich.There’s a reason he’s making the coin he makes. The guy can flat out play. Soo many want him 2 fail but he’s a STUD!"
Don’t look now but Bryce Harper is hitting over.365 and slugging close to .700.Got ripped to shreads earlier when I felt his skills far exceeded Bellinger& Yelich.There’s a reason he’s making the coin he makes. The guy can flat out play. Soo many want him 2 fail but he’s a STUD!
— Jim Goldman (@JimGoldman5) August 19, 2020
He has had a great season for the Phillies so far and there are no signs of him slowing down. Ahead of Tuesday's game, he boasts of a 17.1% walk rate which is currently the fifth-best in the NL and a whiff rate of 15.7%. There have been constant comparisons with J T Realmuto and while it is a tricky question to answer after seeing their spectacular runs, we can say the Red Sox opener just added more points to Harper's kitty.
With this win, the Phillies will be hoping to make it a forgettable season for Red Sox by making them suffer their tenth loss in a row. And as long as they have Harper slugging it out for them, everything's right in the world.
Phillies v Red Sox play next on Wednesday.
