October 05, 2024
Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images
Bryce Harper and the Phillies are finally at October and the postseason, and know the mission they're on.
Bryce Harper knows things are different now.
The Phillies aren't the Cinderella story that rode late momentum and immaculate vibes all the way to the NL Pennant anymore, nor the team that realized it could very well do it all again, but stumbled at the worst time and fell a game short against Arizona.
They're the NL East champions now, one of Major League Baseball's best clubs, and maybe, on paper, the most complete team in the entire postseason field.
They're good, good enough to win the World Series, and everyone knows it.
But Harper, and the Phillies, know that the postseason is anything but predictable. They earned everything they needed to give themselves the best possible shot – the division title, the bye out of the Wild Card round, and a valuable few extra days of rest to get healthy. But anything can happen.
The Phillies aren't the underdogs anymore. The New York Mets, the bitter NL East rival who they will be facing in the NLDS starting with Game 1 later today, are, and they're playing with house money, which is dangerous.
But pregame, Harper said the Phillies know what they're about and how good they are, and maybe more importantly, that the club's mentality hasn't changed ever since that first break into postseason contention in 2022.
"You get to this point of the season, and every team kind of has the same goal, so you just gotta go out there and play your game," Harper said in the quiet of a Citizens Bank Park that won't be for much longer. "I think that's the cool thing or the beauty of our game, and I can say it matches really well with the NHL, is any team can do it, any team can win.
"You get to this point in the season, and you see that. So I think just playing our game, understanding who we are as a team, our identity, the grit, the determination. I don't think any of that underdog mentality will ever change for us. I think we're gonna go in there and just play our game. We're gonna play hard, play fast, play right."
And play to get one of the most electrifying crowds in baseball going early. That's going to be one of the keys to stymying the Mets' momentum carrying over from the Wild Card round at the outset.
Bryce Harper during a press conference before the Phillies take on the Mets for Game 1 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park.
Nick Tricome/PhillyVoice
Ace Zack Wheeler will take the mound for the Phils to start the postseason run, while the Mets are sending right-hander Kodai Senga to the bump, who only pitched once in an injury-riddled 2024 and that was only for 5.1 innings all the way back in July.
Still, the Phillies have to be on alert, with Harper acknowledging that Sengai has a pitch selection, his signature "Ghost Fork" especially, that can catch their lineup off guard.
The Phils have to jump on him, and as manager Rob Thomson said on Friday, the second they get a lead against the Mets, stay on the gas.
"Put the hammer down and put them away," Thomson said.
Things are different now. Harper and the Phillies aren't the underdogs anymore, but two years later, they're still chasing after the same thing: a World Series title and a cathartic parade down Broad Street.
The third run at it begins soon, with a Red October crowd in and outside of the ballpark throughout South Philly right behind them to try and see it fully through.
"We got an unbelievable crowd behind us, and I think we're all looking forward to seeing that today," Harper said. "There's nothing like coming into this place and playing, and I think when you see it in the postseason, it's just a different animal. It's a lot of fun, so we're looking forward to it."
Things are different now. But the mission's still the same.
MORE: The '24 Mets and the '22 Phils are spitting images, and that's dangerous
Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
