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Bryce Harper has his first signature moment with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Down two runs to the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning, the superstar launched a walk-off grand slam that still might not have landed:
He showed his excitement after the game:
It was the first walk-off grand slam for the Phillies while trailing since Ozzie Virgil in 1983, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
Philadelphia trailed by five runs going into the eighth and was down 5-1 in the ninth, but the squad came through with a six-run inning off Rowan Wick, Pedro Strop and Derek Holland to seal the 7-5 victory and a three-game sweep of the Cubs.
In the midst of a tight wild-card race, this game could end up being huge by the end of September.
Harper has had an up-and-down year with the Phillies since signing a 13-year, $330 million deal in the offseason, but there will be no complaints about him Thursday night.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jake Arrieta was placed on the injured list Wednesday because of an elbow injury, according to Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
He said he will likely undergo surgery and will "probably" not pitch again this season, per Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com.
Arrieta has been limited this year by a bone spur in his right elbow that has been both painful and damaging to his pitching.
"Yeah, it hurts every day," the pitcher said after his most recent start against the San Francisco Giants, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports. "Today, I lacked the ability to throw any off-speed stuff with effectiveness, and they made me pay for it."
He allowed five runs in just three innings during Sunday's start, the eighth time opponents scored at least five runs against him in his 24 starts.
This was not what the Phillies anticipated when they signed the right-hander to a three-year, $75 million deal.
Arrieta had an up-and-down first season with the team, finishing 2018 with a 3.96 ERA and a 10-11 record. This was worse than any of his four-and-a-half years with the Chicago Cubs, which featured a combined 68-31 record and a 2.73 ERA.
He also won the Cy Young Award in 2015 and was a key part of the World Series title run in 2016.
While he still possesses upside, the 33-year-old has major question marks about his health. Meanwhile, the team's rotation is even thinner behind Aaron Nola. Midseason additions Drew Smyly and Jason Vargas become even more important heading into the final stretch of the season.
Looking for a spark to boost their struggling offense, the Philadelphia Phillies are naming former manager Charlie Manuel their hitting coach.
The Phillies announced Tuesday that Manuel will take over after the team relieved John Mallee of his duties.
Under Mallee, Philadelphia's offense has been a disappointment. The group ranks 19th in MLB in runs scored, 23rd in slugging percentage and homers, and tied for 23rd in batting average.
Manuel, 75, has been with the organization since 2003 aside from a five-month hiatus after being fired as manager in 2013. He had worked as an adviser to the general manager since 2014. Prior to that, he was the team's manager for nearly nine seasons, leading the franchise to consecutive World Series appearances in 2008 and 2009, including a title in 2008.
In addition to his time with the Phillies, Manuel served as hitting coach with the Cleveland Indians in 1988 and 1989 and from 1994 to 1999. He also managed the Indians from 2000 to 2002.
Philadelphia is two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for the second wild-card spot in the National League. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2011.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jake Arrieta may be willing to consider surgery to repair the bone spur in his right elbow.
"I don't necessarily want to make a decision right now," Arrieta said Sunday after giving up five runs and seven hits to the San Francisco Giants, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We'll have the off-day [Monday] and maybe have a conversation on Tuesday."
"It hurts every day," Arrieta added of the bone spur. "I just wasn't able to get through my share of the outing and preserve the lead."
The bone spur was first reported on Sunday, July 7, when Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said the team was monitoring the injury and determining whether surgery would be necessary. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Phillies had reportedly "been operating under the assumption that Arrieta could wait for surgery until after the season."
That assumption proved false.
Arrieta, 33, has struggled in the 2019 season, going 8-8 with a 4.64 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 110 strikeouts in 135.2 innings (24 starts). He's continued to struggle since winning the 2015 Cy Young Award, and he hasn't resembled that once-dominant pitcher in his two-year stint with the Phillies.
His loss for any period of time is a major blow to a Phillies team that has struggled immensely in the pitching department. While Aaron Nola has continued his ascension into ace status after a rocky start to the season, players like Arrieta, Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta, Vince Velasquez and Jared Eickhoff have all been poor behind him.
Add in a bullpen that has been shaky as well, and the Phillies pitching staff is a real issue. That's especially disappointing given the team's lineup—led by Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto, Jay Bruce, Cesar Hernandez and Scott Kingery—continues to produce.
If the Phillies are going to secure a postseason berth, they'll need someone else in the rotation to step up next to Nola. Arrieta's injury all but makes that a necessity.
Former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez said members of the 2009 club were dealing with swine flu during the World Series.
"It wasn't told, but most of us were sick," Martinez said, per Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Some of the guys had swine flu and had to be kept away. I caught some of the virus. We would just never say it. When I got home, I realized that I was really sick."
Martinez, who had just turned 38 at the time, said he was able to pitch Game 2 without problems but struggled in his second appearance in the series, which saw him last only four innings in Game 6:
"I had a little bit of an asthma attack in the middle of the game, and I was having a hard time breathing. I was really sick. In any other situation, I wouldn't be out there. But the team needed me. I held on as long as I could, and I did that. I was really proud to have my last game with the Phillies at Yankee Stadium."
The New York Yankees defeated the Phillies in six games to win their 27th World Series championship. Martinez—who played much of his career with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox and New York Mets—only played the 2009 season in Philadelphia, making nine regular-season starts and three postseason starts before calling it a Hall of Fame career.
He said he planned on returning to Philadelphia for the 2010 season but never received an offer from the Phillies, who went in another direction with their roster.
"I made a mistake by kicking everybody aside and waiting for this team, and then it didn't happen I was told by [Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.] that they were going to go after me, so I told the other teams 'No. Wait,'" Martinez said. "The call never came. I had three teams in mind, or else I wasn't going to go. Philadelphia was No. 1."
The 2009 swine flu pandemic swept the country throughout the year and much of 2010. But it was not known until this time that any members of the Phillies had it.
Vince Velasquez's arm knows no bounds.
The 27-year-old Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher found himself playing left field against the Chicago White Sox when the teams' game bled into the 14th inning Friday night. With Phillies outfielder Roman Quinn pitching, the Sox's James McCann singled to Velasquez in left field.
Velasquez—who entered the game as a pinch runner in the 13th—then launched the ball to home plate to throw out Jose Abreu, who represented the go-ahead run:
Philadelphia presumably opted to put Velasquez in left field rather than on the mound to avoid tinkering with its rotation. He's scheduled to start Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
If nothing else, it was a nice boost for Velasquez. He has been in and out of the rotation this season with a 3-6 record and 4.40 ERA across 13 starts.
The Philadelphia Phillies are suing design firm Harrison/Erickson Incorporated for ownership of the rights to the Phillie Phanatic mascot.
According to TMZ Sports, Harrison/Erickson is threatening to terminate its agreement with the Phillies and prevent the team from using the Phanatic beyond June 15, 2020, if the two sides do not renegotiate. Harrison/Erickson also said it will make the Phanatic a "free agent."
In the lawsuit filed by the Phillies, the organization said it worked with Harrison/Erickson to create the Phanatic in 1978. The Phillies said they renegotiated with the firm in 1984 and paid $215,000 for permanent rights to the Phanatic.
Harrison/Erickson alleges that the contract does not give the Phillies rights to the Phanatic forever, which is why it is attempting to rework the agreement.
If Harrison/Erickson does try to sell the Phanatic's rights to another team, the Phillies want the firm and the team that uses the Phanatic to be punished.
Since its debut in April 1978, the Phanatic has become one of the most famous mascots in all of sports.
The Phanatic is a huge part of the in-game experience at Citizens Bank Park, as it rides around on an ATV, interacts with fans and messes with opposing players.
The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the Pirates will receive a player to be named later as well as international bonus money. The trade cost is relatively low as the Phillies take on the remainder of Dickerson's $8.5 million salary for this season.
The 30-year-old has been an impact player when on the field this year, hitting .317 with 18 doubles and four home runs in 43 games. His .931 OPS would match a career high if the season ended today.
A shoulder strain caused him to miss over two months earlier this season, and he has been limited recently with groin discomfort. However, after going 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, the injury woes appear to be behind him.
Dickerson earned an All-Star selection in 2017 and then a Gold Glove in 2018 while hitting .300 with 13 home runs in his first year with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His continued success on the field in 2019 suggests he's hitting his stride in the prime of his career.
With a 47-60 record, the Pirates are far out of contention, though, and have little need for the impending free agent.
He now joins a Phillies offense to potentially replace the injured Jay Bruce in the outfield.
Philadelphia entered Wednesday tied for the top wild-card spot in the National League, and this latest addition could help secure a playoff berth as the season hits the home stretch.
As the Philadelphia Phillies tries to remain in the playoff race in the National League, improving the bullpen has become a priority.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Phillies have "continued interest" in Chicago White Sox closer Alex Colome.
The 30-year-old is in his first year with Chicago, producing a 2.27 ERA with 21 saves in 39.2 innings so far in 2019. His 0.78 WHIP is also third-best in the majors among players with at least 20 innings pitched.
Although Colome has seen his strikeouts decrease this year (7.0 per nine innings), his 4.3 hits per nine innings would easily be a career best over the course of a full season.
The right-hander's production has also made him a wanted man over the past few years. While he began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, he has already been traded twice since the start of last season, going to the Seattle Mariners last May before being flipped to the White Sox in the offseason.
Chicago now appears out of the playoff race at 46-57 entering Monday, but Philadelphia sits at 55-50, one game out of the NL Wild Card.
Unfortunately, the Phillies have struggled out of the bullpen this year with just a 4.72 staff ERA, good for 22nd in the majors.
Hector Neris has also been shaky in the closer role, blowing three of his last five save opportunities.
Adding Colome could help solidify the back of the bullpen while making Philadelphia much more dangerous down the home stretch.
It was February 28 when Phillies fans believed the renaissance had arrived. At least that was the theme of the press conference in Clearwater, Florida, where Bryce Harper was introduced the following Saturday as Philadelphia's newest baseball savior, complete with a contract large enough to actually bankroll a half-dozen small-market teams. At $330 million over 13 years, Harper didn't just become baseball's richest player, he also turned into the Phillies' liberator. This was no ordinary transaction; it was a coronation.
Harper was both warrior and diplomat, speaking to the legion of loyalists who cared less about his millions than a second, more salient set of numbers—a drought that's limited the franchise to one world championship in the new millennium and only two in the last 40 years.
The ticket buyers fell hard for Harper. Small wonder. Handsome and articulate, he spoke about parading down Broad Street on a World Series float. With no opt-out in his contract, he and the Phillies are professionally married for life.
How could any fan resist a commitment like that? All Harper had to do was unleash that breathtaking bat speed that turned him into a star by the time he was 20. Not only would Harper lead the Phillies to the NL East's top spot, but he was also in line to become the team's most popular player, assuming the mantle the beloved Ryan Howard left vacant in 2016.
But more than halfway through the season, both Harper and the Phillies have met with mixed results. He's hitting almost 20 points below his .277 career average with drop-offs in home runs and OPS from 2018. The Phillies, meanwhile, are 5.5 games behind the first-place Braves, albeit only a game back in the race for the top wild-card spot.
Despite the spring training hype, the needle hasn't moved all that much in Philly, which raises the question of whether Harper's elevation as a rock star set him up for success—or if it was a guarantee for disappointment.
The answer can be found on the back of Harper's baseball card, where there are profiles of two distinctly different hitters. One, the five-tool superstar, voted the National League's MVP four years ago while hitting for average (.330) and flashing lights-out power (42 home runs with a 1.109 OPS). The other, one of a subset of sluggers a rung below the elite, a player who hasn't hit over .256 in three of his past four seasons.
Such was the risk the Phillies took by paying Harper $27.5 million per year—and the fans took with their eagerness to believe he'd be the difference-maker. What was the realistic return on that investment? One American League executive said: "I see a good player in Harper but not a great one. Where he stacks up to guys like [Mike] Trout, relative to that contract, there's an obvious disconnect."
Another industry veteran expressed a similar sentiment: "I would just never pay any player that much money. Well, maybe Trout, but I wonder if the Phillies are thinking, 'What did [we] do?' They made a big splash, got the fans excited, but now it's the morning after and they have to pay him."
While the AL executive made sure to add that none of this is Harper's fault, he also acknowledged that Harper's decision to leave the Nationals brought with it a pressure to perform, especially in a sports-mad city like Philadelphia.
"I don't blame Bryce," he said. "He chased what the industry told him to chase—swing hard, go for the home runs. It's what the industry rewards. But he's not in Washington anymore. He's in a place where you have to be accountable, and he's expected to get a hit every time up."
Harper's history suggests such consistency is unlikely. Wild, volatile streaks have been his career trademark—an all-or-nothing approach that doesn't just describe his swing, but also how he performs on the field. If the Phillies expected otherwise, they made a gross miscalculation, or as another major league executive said of the peaks and valleys, "This is just who Harper is."
Take last year. In early July, Harper was batting .218 as Washington was slogging along in third place, 5.5 games behind the Phillies and Braves. But he hit 70 points higher the rest of the way, propelling the Nationals to a second-place finish in the East. They didn't catch the Braves, but they nevertheless caught and passed Philadelphia.
That may explain why the Phillies wrote such a big check for Harper last offseason—even though the Yankees, who had more money to spend and a pressing need for a left-handed power hitter who could exploit Yankee Stadium's short right field porch, never seriously considered signing Harper.
(To the contrary, sources say general manager Brian Cashman had "zero" interest, despite the theoretical match. "It never got off the ground; it went nowhere," one executive said, referring to agent Scott Boras' efforts to engage the Yankees. "[Cash] just wasn't into Harper. He was way more intrigued by [Manny] Machado.")
In Philly, Harper has produced the same roller-coaster performance that has become his norm: He batted .325 in his first 12 games and then nose-dived over the next 23, hitting just .195. Harper's average hovered around .250 for most of May and June, preventing him from reaching the All-Star Game for only the second time in his career. Yet, there have been signs of a rebirth.
Entering a three-game showdown against the Braves that started with a 9-2 Phillies loss Friday, Harper has batted .295 over the last four weeks. The Phillies are hoping this mini hot streak will turn into a sustained run that lasts into October.
It's during these surges that Harper turns hitting into art. The coil of his bat, the back foot lifting off the ground at the moment of impact—in some ways reminiscent of Babe Ruth and Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron—are worth finding on YouTube. Harper's mechanics are to hitting what Mariano Rivera's delivery was to pitching: almost too perfect for the untrained eye, best appreciated in slow motion.
"I have never been more confident about Bryce getting back to his highest level of play than I am right now," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "He seems content and relaxed. I see him improving. I'm thinking he's ready for a monster second half."
But will that be enough to get the Phillies into the playoffs and satisfy the critics of his deal? Then again, maybe those expectations are too high. Though Harper's first full season coincided with Trout's first, it's a losing proposition for any slugger to continually be compared to the Angels star.
"If you're going to say, 'Bryce Harper isn't as good as Trout,' well, sure, but who is?" said one National League talent evaluator. "There are other ways to measure the guy's worth."
Start with Harper's age: He's still only 26, which means his athletic prime should still be three to four years in the distance. "It's not unreasonable to say Harper's best years are still ahead of him," the American League exec said. "You can't write [2015] off as a fluke this early in his career."
Harper also plays hard, a fact not even his detractors dispute. "If anything, his intensity makes him more prone to injuries," one scout said. "But there's no question he's very competitive, a very fierce guy on the field."
And there's also a certain undefinable quality Harper carries, a charisma that can fill up the Phillies' clubhouse. He's a magnet both for the media and Phillies loyalists. "I didn't realize until Bryce got here what a skilled communicator he is," Kapler said. "He's handled the spotlight the way he has throughout his career—he always says the right things in support of his team."
That's been a windfall for the Phillies, if not in the standings, then at least on the balance sheet. Home attendance has surged by roughly 30 percent from 2018, the largest gain of any team in the majors. Thanks to Harper and the other offseason acquisitions—Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto and Andrew McCutchen—the Phillies are now fifth in the NL at the gate and eighth overall. They were 11th and 17th, respectively, last year.
Of course there's still a part of the equation that's missing—a world championship and that toga party on Broad Street. Kapler says, "We're going in the right direction" without having to further state the obvious: The Phillies will go only as far as Harper can take them.
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