News

Philadelphia Phillies Star Bryce Harper Returns To The Lineup With A Bang

The Philadelphia Phillies have been waiting a while for Bryce Harper to return to the lineup – and the big money man delivered quickly. 

During the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Phillies wasted no time making noise offensively. 

The team immediately had the bases loaded with no one out – all set for Harper, who was batting cleanup in the first game back since June. 

The 29-year-old star outfielder took the count to two balls and two strikes. 

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

He then drove a pitch through the shifted right infield that got too much of the plate. 

That drove in two runs to give the Phillies runners on first and third. 

That was Harper’s first at-bat since June 25 when San Diego Padres pitcher Blake Snell let a 97-mile per hour (mph) fastball get away from him that unfortunately drilled the star outfielder on the left thumb.

X-rays revealed that it was a fracture.

The good news is the Phillies were able to manage without Harper.

The team held a 32-20 record without him and sit second in the wild card race in the National League.

This year, the Phillies rank ninth in the majors in batting average and eight in on-base plus slugging (OPS). 

Ahead of the trade deadline, the Phillies acquired pitchers Noah Syndergaard and David Robertson.

If the injury hadn’t happened, Harper would have had a decent shot of winning the NL’s most valuable player award again. 

Before the injury, Harper was slashing .318/.385/.985 (batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.) 

Harper has won two MVP awards in his 11-season MLB career: one in 2015, with the other in 2021. 

But likewise, this year’s race will come down between two St. Louis CardinalsPaul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado

But most importantly, the Phillies will hope Harper will stay healthy and that he will help the team make noise in the playoffs. 

Anthony Russo

Recent Posts

Paul George Exits With Knee Injury As 76ers Fall To 2-12 In Loss To Grizzlies

With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback…

32 mins ago

VIDEO: Nike Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal With 30-Foot Projection In Front of Eiffel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…

18 hours ago

VIDEO: Rafael Nadal Gets Emotional Tribute as He Retires From Tennis

https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…

18 hours ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Fencer Eli Dershwitz Explains The Art Of Fencing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…

2 days ago

Two Bears Offensive Linemen Return To Practice, Caleb Williams Desperate For Blocking

Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…

3 days ago

VIDEO: UFC Heavyweight Champion Performs Viral Trump Dance In New York

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…

4 days ago