NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: PHILLIES VS PADRES

October 23, 2022

Bryce Harper

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Phillies - 4, Padres - 3

Q. Bryce, congratulations. You have been a guy that has always lived to come through in the big moments. You did so a couple times here during your short time here, and you did it tonight. Just the overall emotion of being able to come through with the big hit that propels your team to the World Series?

BRYCE HARPER: Yeah, I keep saying it, right? The opportunity to be able to be in that situation, I'm not there unless J.T. gets that hit in that at-bat. I told K. Long before I walked up the steps, I said, let's give them something to remember.

Just that moment, just being able to do it at home. I didn't want to get back on that flight back to San Diego. I just didn't want to get on a 5 1/2-hour flight. I wanted to hang out at home and enjoy this at home with these fans and this organization and this fan base.

I thought Yu threw the ball really well today. We got two early on him and then kind of sat around and didn't do much against him and were able to pick it along and get to where we needed to be to have that shot, to have that moment.

I just want to thank J.T. in front of me for getting on there and giving me that opportunity in that moment.

Q. Bryce, I don't know if you were a typical kid. Typical kids dream of that moment. Was it as good as you imagined it would be?

BRYCE HARPER: Yeah, I think we all think in our backyards it's the World Series, right? Every moment, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, 3-2 count, best pitcher on the mound in the World Series.

So you dream about it, but also you dream about that next step. You dream about that next one. So I'm looking forward to that next one. I think we're all looking forward to that next one.

This is great. To be able to be the last National League team standing right now. The Philadelphia Phillies, we're here. We're ready to go in that next round. We've got four more. We're going to enjoy this as a team, as a group, but we've got four more.

Q. Bryce, you could have gone to the World Series after your rookie year, you could have gone a couple other times, you never did. I wonder how, having been through those experiences affects how you appreciate what you're going through now?

BRYCE HARPER: Not much. I don't like looking back. I like to look forward. Being able to be here in Philadelphia, I'm grateful for this team. I'm grateful for this organization.

What they've done for us this year, being able to go out and get Dave Dombrowski to make the moves they needed to make. I said it earlier in the earlier rounds, this is kind of his baby right here. This is kind of his first year of what our team kind of looks like now that we've had free agency after COVID, all that kind of stuff.

This is our group. This is who we are. I've said it before. I feel like we're built for October because of the team that we do have. We've got two horses in the bullpen for us. We've got three up front for us as starters and the five guys at the top of our lineup and then down to our rookies.

I don't think people realize how good our rookies are, how much they've showed up for this year, and continue to show up. Bryson had really good swings today. I thought Marshy had some good at-bats as well, it just didn't happen for him.

We battled. We grinded. Being able to have the outcome that we did today was huge.

Q. Bryce, you've talk about the last week or so, the opportunity to be here. Not many get the opportunity that you've had your entire career, going back to the cover of SI at 16 to be here a couple days after your 30th birthday, going to the World Series. I'm curious, what has this journey been like for you from that start at 16 where you're this phenom to now where you can look at going to the World Series? What's this journey been like for you?

BRYCE HARPER: I don't like looking back. I like looking forward and moving forward. This game is what have you done for me lately? That's how it's always been.

So I think as a team we never doubted who we are or our identity as a team. A guy gets hurt, we're going. Manager gets fired, we're going. So on a team level, I think we're right where we need to be.

On a personal level, like I said, I don't like looking back. But I'm grateful for the experiences that I went through when I was younger to get me to where I am today. As a teammate, as a person, father, everything.

I'm grateful for the people around me. I'm so lucky to have the parents that I do. I'm so lucky to have my beautiful wife and kids that support me each day as well, and teammates in there that are not just teammates, but some of my best friends.

I'm very fortunate for the experiences I did have from the time I was 16 all the way through because it is -- you know, has kind of molded me into what I am today. I think you can always get better. I think you can always -- in all facets of life, not just on the baseball field, but I think you can always get better in life no matter what. So I want to continue to do that for my family, for my teammates, and everybody around me.

Q. Two questions. Every crowd, when a team is winning, is pumped up and happy. In your experiences here, what makes this crowd different, distinguishes the Philadelphia environment from others?

BRYCE HARPER: It's Philly, man. They hate you. (Laughter). The other team on the other side, they can't stand -- unless you're wearing Philly red or you're a Philly, they don't like you, and I love that. I love every emotion that they have.

I did it as an opposing player for a long time, and I wanted that. I wanted that emotion from the fans. I wanted that emotion from the fan base. They just want you to work hard. They want you to play hard. They want you to be who you are, no excuses. They don't care if you're hurt or you're not feeling good or if you didn't sleep the night before, they don't care.

They pay their hard-earned dollar every day to get to the ballpark for us, and they're doing it right now for us during the playoffs. They just want you to work hard. They don't care. They just want you to grind for them. They want you to go out there and play the best baseball you can, no matter what.

I loved walking in as an opposing player knowing that I was going to get absolutely blasted by these fans, and it was what it was, and I loved it. It made me want to come here and play because I knew how much they cared. I knew how much they love their players and how much passion and how much drive they all have.

And everybody talks about the blue collarness of this city and the fight that they have, and it just rubs off on all of us. I've said it multiple times. We have 46,000 people in this stadium, it's 46,026 because we're all in this together. No matter where they're at, who they are, where they come from, if you've got Phillies across your chest and you're a fan, you're part of our team. You're part of our organization, and you fight with us each day.

Q. When you come through in that moment for them and for your team and everything -- Rhys threw the bat, he flipped the bat. You had a more subdued but still sort of intense reaction. Tell me what you're thinking as you're looking at your bench after you hit that home run and how you reacted the way you did?

BRYCE HARPER: I hit the ball, and I just looked at my dugout and kind of it's for all of them. It's for this whole team. It's for this whole organization. We haven't been here for a long time. It's for every single fan that's here now and that isn't here. It's for all of them no matter -- like I said, where you came from, who you are, you've got Phils on your chest, you're family. I really believe that. That's from right here.

I feel that each day when I walk into the ballpark, and I just -- that's it, man. Everybody that has Phillies on their chest is family, man.

Q. It's kind of interesting that you got that little moment with Jayson Werth before the game. He's a guy who kind of is a testament to what winning means in this city. And you've seen it with all those '08 guys that have been coming back in through here. I was wondering, have you guys ever talked about kind of what it means to win here? Did he say anything to you today? Has he said anything to you when you were teammates?

BRYCE HARPER: Yeah, he pissed me off because he threw that ball so hard. Golly.

Q. Yeah, he did.

BRYCE HARPER: I had no idea he was throwing it. What are you doing? I've got to play a game. Thank goodness I'm a catcher, or I used to be. I wanted to kill him. So J-Dub.

When we talked about coming in here in 2016, 2017, 2018, early in my career as well in 2012, he said this place was electric and there was nothing like winning in Philadelphia. There was nothing like the fans in Philadelphia.

And I remember in 2017 he was sitting there, and we were talking, and I'd had a great series coming in and had a really good series when I came in late in '17 year. He looked at me and said, you're going to be a Philadelphia Phillie, dude. I said, yeah, you're right probably because this place is a launching pad at the time.

But I didn't really think anything of it at that moment besides I liked hitting here, right? And I love the fan base and how they reacted and how they were. But anybody that comes in from the '80 team or '93 or '08 or '09, that's all they talk about. They love you. It's a lot of fun when you win, and it's tough when you lose. That's what it is. They'll let you know, and it is what it is.

It's just a fan base that cares. They care so much about the team. They care so much about how we go out there and react to certain situations. Like I said, it's all of us in it together. If we didn't have our fans the last couple days or the last three weeks, we wouldn't be where we are right now because home-field advantage is real in Philadelphia.

Q. When you're looking forward then, does it mean -- obviously you want to win a World Series, you want to get a ring. But does kind of like the legacy aspect mean anything to you, that you could be the one up there on that scoreboard that they're replaying your home runs and you're out throwing out the first pitch and you're here forever?

BRYCE HARPER: There's no thought right now, man. I've got ten more years. I've got a long time, man (laughter).

Q. But looking a little less far ahead, you've got four or five days off. What will that mean for you guys? And then presumably going to Houston, what you just saw a few weeks ago, and have an idea better what to expect from them?

BRYCE HARPER: Yeah, I wish we played tomorrow. I think our team, that's how we are. We want to keep playing. We want to keep grinding. I didn't even know we had four or five days off. I had no idea.

Q. Friday, yeah.

BRYCE HARPER: I didn't know that. That's crazy. That's a long time.

No, I think that's a really good team, whoever it is. If it's Houston or if it's New York, you never know in baseball what could happen, so that series -- I know it's 3-0, but you never know.

But if it is Houston and we do go there, it's a really good team. They know how to win. They've been there before. Good pitching staff. It is what it is. I think as a team, we don't care who we play. We just want to go in there and do our job.

Q. Today Wheels comes out of the game, it's raining like crazy, Seranthony threw three wild pitches, what are you guys thinking then? You had the lead, and then suddenly you're behind again.

BRYCE HARPER: Play 27 outs. That's been our big thing. You play 27 outs no matter what's going on in the game or the situation or the weather or anything. We don't care. Any situation that's going on, we just want to play those 27 outs and see who's winning at the end.

Q. Bryce, when you're in those situations where the game is on the line, things of that nature, how do you balance your own self-confidence between the tendency to try to play hero ball and just try to hit a home run, rather than just maybe have the best at-bat that you can get in that situation?

BRYCE HARPER: I think the moment, right? I think the opportunity is huge, but you're grateful for that opportunity. I think if you go in with gratitude in the at-bat, it doesn't matter what happens. You're going to get any pitch in any count to try to do damage.

I think J.T. getting on was huge for us. I knew if I hit a ball into the gap or anything, J.T. was going to score. So I wasn't trying to do too much in that situation at all. I took my chances early in the at-bat and kind of was like, okay, here we go. What do I need to do to either just get him over or get this job done? Because I've got a really good hitter behind me as well.

Knowing that one of the best relievers, best closers in the National League is warming up, we needed to strike then and there, and we were able to do that.