Philadelphia Phillies reach first World Series since 2009 behind Bryce Harper's dramatic home run
“He lives for this,’’ said Phillies shortstop Bryson Stott, Harper’s closest friend on the team."Any time you have a superstar that has missed out on the postseason a few year in a row, they just want to get back and want to be on that big stage.’’
Now, for the first time in history, Major League Baseball will have a No. 6 seed playing in the World Series. “I have an appreciation for baseball history,’’ said first baseman Rhys Hoskins, “but more so an appreciation for Phillies history. Being in the postseason, there's a lot of talk about how it's gone in the past here, which is awesome. It's great experience. It's great stories to hear and draw back on.’’ “It feels like we're living it,’’ Hoskins said.
Hoskins provided the Phillies their only offense until Harper’s heroics, getting the green light on a 3-and-0 pitch in the second inning, and hitting it 424 feet into the left-field seats for a two-run homer. It was one of just four hits Padres ace Yu Darvish surrendered, but the damage was done. The Phillies, who clinged to a 2-1 lead, watched it disappear in the seventh inning when reliever Seranthony Dominguez self-destructed. He threw three wild pitches, with the Padres scoring the go-ahead run on two wild pitches with struggling No. 8 hitter Trent Grisham at the plate, taking a 3-2 lead.