B-day bash: Harper homers, Phillies win Game 1
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David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Writer
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper always wanted to play a baseball game on his birthday. So he made sure his 31st was one to celebrate.
Harper crushed a 420-foot first-inning home run, blew out his “candles” as he crossed home plate, lined an RBI single in the third inning, walked and scored in the fifth inning, received chants of “M-V-P!” and was serenaded with a couple of “Happy birthday!” shoutouts from the home fans. With Harper leading the way, and with the Philadelphia Phillies delivering an early burst of home runs, they beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 to win Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night.
“After the game, I was pumped, just being 1-0. That’s all I care about. Good opportunity to hit a home run, that was great, but at the end of the day, if I hit a homer and we don’t win, there’s nothing else,” Harper said, much more subdued postgame than during his home run celebration, when he blew on his fingers at home plate after he gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead off Zac Gallen just five pitches into the bottom of the first.
“It’s crazy. Sometimes I just do stuff. That felt right, step on home plate and do that,” Harper said. “I thought about it as I was running around third base.”
Harper spoke before the game about being excited to finally play on his birthday. He made the playoffs four times with the Washington Nationals, but they were eliminated each time in the division series and never played this late in the calendar. The Phillies were still playing last year during their World Series run but had an off day.
Harper’s big day was just the latest in his hot postseason. The home run, off a first-pitch four-seam fastball from Gallen that was left over the middle of the zone, was his fourth, and he’s hitting .409/.567/.955 with nine runs scored in seven games. His career OPS in the postseason now ranks third all time behind only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig among players with at least 150 plate appearances.
The scary thing for the Diamondbacks: Harper might not even be the Phillies’ hottest hitter. Nick Castellanos gave them a 3-0 lead with a second-inning home run off Gallen, following the first-inning blasts from Kyle Schwarber and Harper. It was Castellanos’ fifth home run over three postseason games — tying Reggie Jackson’s mark from the 1977 World Series, when he homered once in Game 4, once in Game 5 and three times in the Game 6 clincher for the New York Yankees.
“It makes our lineup so deep, especially him in the seven-hole or eight-hole, it just gives him a good opportunity to have success,” Harper said. “Whenever he’s staying on the baseball and driving the ball to right-center and hitting the curveball or hitting the heater to left, that’s how Nicky is. He’s come through in so many big spots.”
The Phillies also set a postseason record with 12 home runs over three games and now are hitting an impressive .275/.355/.550 with 16 home runs in those seven games while averaging 5.1 runs per game.
“I am amazed. Not surprised,” Castellanos said.
The difference?
“When you’re watching something amazing like all these home runs we’re hitting, you can appreciate it,” he said. “But I’m not surprised because I know we’re capable of doing it.”
Castellanos said he wasn’t interested in tying Jackson’s mark.
“I’m interested in winning seven more games,” he said.
After the Phillies jumped all over Gallen, starting pitcher Zack Wheeler took over in leading Philadelphia’s efforts, retiring 15 in a row until Geraldo Perdomo touched him for a two-run home run in the sixth. Wheeler improved to 2-0 in three starts this postseason with a 2.37 ERA, 37.7% strikeout rate and just one walk. His fastball command continues to impress: He threw 17 first-pitch strikes out of 21 batters faced and induced 17 swings and misses while recording eight strikeouts.
“It had good life,” Wheeler said about his fastball. “Threw it basically where I wanted to.”
The early lead certainly helped.
“In the playoffs, everything is amplified. That early momentum was big for us,” he said.
Game 2 is Tuesday night with the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly facing the Phillies’ Aaron Nola.
Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.
The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.
If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.
“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”
Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”
Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.
The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.
“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”
The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.
The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”
Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.
San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.
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