Dodgers Interview: Harper Clear-Eyed About the Task Ahead of Phillies
LOS ANGELES — The Phillies landed in Los Angeles down 0–2, but Bryce Harper didn’t sound rattled. He came off relaxed, clear-eyed, and direct about what needs to change. He praised the Dodgers, tipped his cap to the pitching on both sides, and kept circling back to one theme: go 1–0 on Wednesday. Simple as that.
Asked about the cross-country flight and team mood, Harper shrugged off any panic. He said the trip was calm, even ordinary: “I played a lot of cards. We didn’t really think about the game. We got some rest last night, flew in this morning, and just tried to get here and get to the workout. I’m glad it’s sunny and 80 degrees in L.A.”
Philadelphia hasn’t homered in the series, and Harper didn’t dodge the question. He noted how rare the run environment has been: “It’s kind of crazy to see there’s only been one homer in the first two games. Pitching’s been good on both sides. It’s always tough in the postseason. You run into a juggernaut of pitching, and that’s our team and their team as well.” Still, he knows the Phillies must create damage: “We need to do a better job of hitting the long ball or just making things happen any way we can. We’ve got to be better tomorrow.”
On the do-or-die feel, Harper made it plain that he embraces it without letting it overwhelm him. “You acknowledge it,” he said. “It’s first to three. We win tomorrow, win the next one, you get back home. We’ve got to go 1–0 tomorrow. That’s a really good team over there, and they want to do it at home, but we’ve got to play our game and figure it out.”
He also walked through his own at-bats with total honesty. “I’ve missed some pitches the last couple days,” he said. “I missed a changeup from Sheehan in a 1–2 count. I missed a couple from Ohtani. Against Snell in the third at-bat I expanded a little.” The reset button is non-negotiable in October: “In the postseason you’ve got to flush it as quick as possible. Any at-bat can change a game or a series. That at-bat has no merit on the next one. Let the game come to you and go from there.”
Harper sounded confident about Aaron Nola in Game 3. “I thought he looked great the other day in the intrasquad,” Harper said. “He was up to 94. Curveball looked good. Changeup looked good. Sinker. I’d imagine he has a leash with Ranger behind him if I had to guess. Hope he goes nine, shy of that, call it a day.”
A question about Dodger Stadium sparked a smile. He loves the setting. “I love playing here. I love being in L.A. I love the West Coast,” he said. “When you’re growing up, the Dodgers are the Dodgers. They’re the team to beat year in and year out. It’s always fun for me to come out here. I’ve got a lot of family and friends out this way. I love playing at Dodger Stadium. Ball flies here. It’s a lot of fun.”
Is the team pressing? Harper doesn’t think so. “We want to hit and bang the best way we can, but you can say that about both teams right now,” he said. “They’ve got runs on the board and they’ve done it in big spots. We haven’t with runners in scoring position, myself included. We’ve got to do that tomorrow night and figure out what we need to do to get ahead.”
He pushed back on the idea that leaving Citizens Bank Park would help. “I love playing at the Bank. I love our fans,” Harper said. “I boo myself when I get out. They spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play, they expect greatness out of us. I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates. We’ve got some of the best fans in baseball. They make me play better. I enjoy it.”
As for history and baggage, he kept it in the rearview. “I don’t buy into past failures of series,” he said. “The last two years we got beat, plain and simple. Right now we’ve got to go 1–0 each day. I’ve seen it in multiple sports. That’s a great team over there, and they’ll do everything they can to win at home. We’ve got to go 1–0 and have some fun. Smile, laugh, enjoy the moment. Not every year you get to play in the postseason.”
Then a personal note that humanized the whole scene. Harper’s wife, Kayla, just delivered their baby, and he lit up. “I’ve got an incredible wife,” he said. “She pushed that thing out in three pushes and 30 seconds. Women are incredible. Holding your son for the first time is one of the greatest moments of my life. I love my family. I love the game of baseball, but at the end of the day, my family means the most.”
Cards on the plane. Clear eyes at the mic. A veteran star who knows the job on Wednesday night: flush the past, trust Nola, hunt a mistake, and go 1–0 at Chavez Ravine.
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