The Philadelphia Phillies won the first game of the 2024 MLB London Series on Saturday, beating the New York Mets 7-2.
Philadelphia hit three home runs in the victory, and no disrespect intended to Whit Merrifield and Nick Castellanos, but Bryce Harper showed London what a star he is, capturing the moment with a celebration after his extra-base hit scored a run for the Phillies.
Harper hit a high inside slider off Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea into the right field stands, providing a spectacular sight for the fans at London Stadium.Showman“He lived up to his nickname by approaching the Phillies dugout and celebrating by dropping to his knees like a football player who has just scored a goal.”
“Let’s go! I love football! I love football,” Harper yelled as he high-fived his teammates in the dugout.
The slide was the Phillies slugger’s most acute awareness of the atmosphere of the game: Before his first two at-bats, Harper played his walk-up song, “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, followed by “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles, before hitting his 15th home run of the season.
The solo homer tied the score at 1-1 but may have signaled a Phillies victory. Philadelphia is 22-0 this season when Harper has an RBI, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs. The Phillies improved to 44-19, the best record in the National League, and are nine games ahead of the Phillies in first place in the NL East.
After the game, Harper told reporters he didn’t tell his teammates he was planning the football-style slide because he wanted to surprise them, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson acknowledged he was nervous watching Harper take a knee.
“When I got over home plate I was kind of worried that I was going to do it,” Harper told The Associated Press. “My only fear was that I was going to hit my knee on the turf, and that didn’t happen.”
Saturday’s game was a celebration for the Phillies, who got a chance to enjoy the team’s overseas road trip. Several members of Philadelphia’s 2008 World Series-winning team, including Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino, reunited on the field during batting practice.
One club player not there was Jayson Werth, whose horse, Dornac, won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday afternoon. Werth said the win was comparable to winning the World Series. Did his former teammate agree? Perhaps we’ll have that conversation in October.
