Bryce Harper loves October, but not because it’s Halloween or even his birthday! He just loves the thrill of the post-season and he thrives on competition. Trea Turner said, he heard Harper saying ‘he wants to be great’ and what better to prove his greatness than acing it in the first Game 1 of the NDLS? Plus, it was Harper’s 50th playoff game, making it all the more special. This time for Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets—and Harper was more than ready. But it didn’t pan out just right. The players that the Phillies were banking on for leading the team instead brought in the disappointment. 

Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm–both stellar pitchers, with an outstanding ERA of 1.65 and 1.87. They are the kind of guys that could shut down hitters–but as fate would have it, all their dominance evaporated, in Game 1 and the Phillies fell for a gut-wrenching 6-2 loss against New York Mets. And Harper was not thrilled! 

Bryce Harper calls for urgency after tough game

When the eighth inning came, the atmosphere was tense. Hoffman and Strahm faced three batters each and soon one could notice that maybe the pressure was getting to them. They started six counts, and five of them were either 0-2 or 1-2. But they still gave up four singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. This was a tough pill to swallow for the team. Manager Rob Thomson said, “But that’s baseball sometimes” about the devastating play by the duo. But Harper wasn’t one to mince words!

As they gear forward for the next game, the urgency to do better is there. Bryce Harper expressed his frustration, saying, “We shouldn’t. You’ve got to know what they’re trying to do. We’ve got to be better.” According to him, the team tended to swing at pitches that were low and kind of out of the strike zone, leading to strikeouts. He was disappointed and wants a regroup soon to reignite the fire and keep the post-season dream alive for them.

The loss, however, wasn’t just on the relievers, because the Phillies bat were kind of silent for most of the game. They didn’t even get their third hit until there were two outs in the eighth. Manager Rob Thomson too called it out, saying they had to get back in the zone. This reveals that the team needs to be smarter at the plate moving on. And well, they have 24 hours to turn things around for the next game.

Zack Wheeler shines brightly but still falls short

The frustrating loss overshadowed a brilliant performance by Zach Wheeler. From the very first pitch, it was clear–he was here to dominate. He touched 99mph and threw all 11 of his pitches for strikes in the first inning. Wheeler managed nine strikeouts and an awesome 30 swings –he was just relentless. “You can’t make mistakes in the playoffs,” Wheeler had stated. And he didn’t make a mistake holding the Mets to just one hit, while the Phillies clung to a 1-0 lead. But that was it!

When Wheeler left the game, the entire momentum kind of shifted. The Philadelphia Phillies struggled to maintain their edge, and this allowed the Mets to claw back into the game. Harper, although disappointed with the game, acknowledged Wheeler’s performance, saying, “What can you say, man? (Wheeler) threw the crap out of it again. Every time he goes out there, he gives us a very good chance to win.” But for a fan aiming for the championship ring, this game doesn’t cut it. 

Plus, even Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wheeler was pretty much ‘unhittable’ with his velocity—which says a lot. With Wheeler, even Kyle Schwarber had a good play by sending a massive leadoff shot into the second deck. The energy of the crowd soared once again, but as they say, the team makes the win—and hence even though they had the brightest stars, they couldn’t win.

Now just 24 hours remain and they need to recoup and figure out the gameplay. Remains to see if October still ends up being Harper’s favorite month, or his most despised. Which do you think will happen?