On Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, Bryce Harper saved the Phillies’ season, and he managed it with the only method he has ever used: smashing a huge home run after a serious error in the very same inning. Harper has spent his career alternating between brilliance and disaster in the same game, and Game 2 of the Wild Card Series was no exception. Over six batters in the seventh inning, he made an ugly error in right field that let the go-ahead run score. But he answered right away, tying the game with a home run as part of back-to-back homers with Kyle Schwarber. Earlier, he had driven in the game’s first run with a single in the first inning. The Phillies won 4-3 in 10 innings.
Harper’s Misplay in Right Field
To make room for Luis Arraez at the trade deadline, the Phillies shuffled their infield: Alec Bohm moved from third base to first base, and Harper returned to right field after playing first base. The changes did not always produce good results. On Wednesday, Bohm could not record an out on a bunt in the seventh inning just before Harper’s mistake.
Drake Baldwin lifted a fly ball that Harper misplayed into a double, which gave the Braves a 2-1 lead. Based on the exit velocity and launch angle, Statcast registered Baldwin’s double with an .080 expected batting average. Stats aside, it’s a ball that must be caught.
Sean Murphy beat the throw to second base by just enough time that Bohm hesitated. It was one of those small moments that ended up costing the Phillies.
Olson Adds the Sacrifice Fly
Matt Olson followed Baldwin’s double with a sacrifice fly to give the Braves a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning. The two misplays contributed directly to the two runs.
Schwarber followed Harper’s homer with one of his own in the very next half-inning, tying the game at 3-3. Together, they became the first pair of left-handed batters to homer off Braves setup man Dylan Lee this season.
“Lee is our high-leverage lefty,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “Put down the same part of the order yesterday pretty easily. Threw the ball really well yesterday. That’s his inning every time.”
Bohm’s Redemption Home Run
The Phillies are even with the Braves in the Wild Card Series after Bohm erased his blunder at the plate. He homered to lead off the tenth inning, putting the Phillies ahead for good, and that run held up because Andrew Painter pitched three strong innings of relief. The deciding Game 3 is set for Thursday afternoon.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Bohm said about his season. “Didn’t start the best. I don’t really know how to put it all into words quickly, but it’s just been a long road with a lot of ups and downs. I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve made a lot of really close friends along the way and had a lot of people to lean on along the way. I really wouldn’t have rather had it any other way.”
How the Defense Changed
In order to accommodate Arraez in the infield, the Phillies made several moves involving their core players. Bryson Stott was shifted from second base to third, Bohm moved from third base to first, and Harper transitioned from first base to right. Harper had not played the outfield since 2022, prior to Arraez’s arrival, having moved to first base that summer to limit his throwing following his return from Tommy John surgery.
Arraez hurt his ankle at the close of the regular season and was left off the Wild Card Series roster. Whether he plays again if the Phillies move forward depends on how the team handles his injury.
What the Managers Said
Don Mattingly, who is serving as the Phillies’ interim manager, said he was impressed by how quickly Harper and Schwarber answered back.
“Schwarb, Harp, after we give up those two, they got momentum,” Mattingly said. “And to be able to get that back right away was huge.”
Weiss noted that Lee had dominated the previous day’s lineup.
“Put down the same part of the order yesterday pretty easily,” Weiss said. “Threw the ball really well yesterday. That’s his inning every time.”
The Pattern of the Day
Harper made a mistake, and then he followed it up with a home run, which is a pattern that has played out before for him. He did it again in Game 2, and it worked exactly the same way as it has in the past.
The single came in the first inning, the misplay happened in the seventh, and the home run arrived in the seventh. Harper finished 2 for 5 for the night. Bohm’s redemption homer in the tenth was the decisive hit.
Thursday’s game 3 will determine which team advances in the series, with the Phillies currently tied with the Braves.
Key Facts Box
- Harper went 2 for 5, with a single, a misplay, and a home run
- Schwarber hit a home run in the back-to-back homers
- Bohm hit a go-ahead home run in the tenth inning
- Dylan Lee gave up his first two home runs to left-handed batters this season
- Andrew Painter threw three innings of relief
- Arraez is not on the Wild Card Series roster due to an ankle injury
The Schedule
| Game | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Wednesday | Atlanta |
| Game 2 | Wednesday | Atlanta |
| Game 3 | Thursday | Atlanta |
Thursday brings a decisive Game 3, and the Phillies will be playing it. The team that wins will advance.
In Atlanta, Harper showed both sides of his game at once. One moment he committed an error, the next he smashed a home run. He was the man who scored the first run, then the pitcher who let the other side take the lead, before tying it back up again.
Source material: “Bryce Harper saves Phillies' season with massive home run vs. Braves after ugly misplay earlier in game,” CBS Sports.
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