Daily News | NLCS MVP Bryce Harper’s homer lifts Phillies past Padres and on to the World Series
For a month, Harper has been impervious to tension. Pressure? Let somebody else worry about that. He has been the best hitter on the planet for the last three weeks, a man possessed with not allowing the Phillies to lose.So, Harper fouled off three consecutive pitches from San Diego Padres relief ace Robert Suarez. He laid off a two-strike change-up. And then he unloaded, bashing a 98.
But when it mattered most, the Phillies turned to their $330 million man, who won the MVP of the NLCS.In 11 playoff games, Harper is batting .419 . He has five home runs and 11 RBIs. The homer that slayed the Padres was his 18th hit and 11th extra-base hit, both Phillies postseason records. He has a 10-game hitting streak, tied with Lenny Dykstra in 1993 for the club record.
But it was never going to be as easy as sending out the ace and hoping the Padres roll over. Besides, San Diego had its best pitcher on the mound, too, and Yu Darvish was up to the challenge of another duel with Wheeler.