‘Jump on the Wagon’: Harper, Phils Put on Show in London, Defeat Mets 7-2
Photo via Philadelphia Phillies on X
Over the past two seasons, Major League Baseball’s “World Tour” has seen games played on three different continents with millions of fans across the world filling the stadium seats and tuning in from their homes. In 2023, the Padres and Giants played two games in Mexico, and the Cardinals and Cubs played twice in London. This season, the Red Sox and Rays traveled to the Dominican Republic for Spring Training, and the Dodgers and Padres played a pair of regular season games in Seoul, South Korea. This weekend, the Phillies have their first opportunity to play abroad, and so far, they have made sure to take advantage of the opportunity. In front of an international audience, the Phillies’ culture was in full effect, from Bryce Harper’s soccer-style slide to the Phillie Phanatic’s mid-game antics.
Citizens Bank Park is great, but London has it beat. A lot of that can be credited to the players. Mets’ Harrison Bader and Bryce Harper agreed to wear hot mics for an inning, and all-star shortstop Francisco Lindor chatted with sideline reporter Tom Verducci just seconds before first pitch.
And of course, a Phillies win made the day a whole lot better. Despite an injury scare in his last outing, Ranger Suarez was given the ball today, and he battled through some command issues to give the Phillies 5.2 innings of two-run ball, striking out six. Suarez earned his tenth win and now has a league-leading 1.81 season ERA.
While Suarez and the Phillies’ electric bullpen were—per usual—very fun to watch, the offense stole the show today.
In the top of the fourth inning, Bryce Harper launched Sean Manaea’s two-strike sweeper deep into the right field seats, tying the game at one. After circling the bases, Harper strutted toward the Phillies’ dugout on the third base side and broke out into a soccer-esque slide, yelling “I love soccer” as Phillies fans from all over the world went wild behind the Phils’ dugout.
Whit Merrifield blasted a three-run homer later in the same inning, and RBI singles from Edmundo Sosa and Kyle Schwarber gave Suarez and the Phillies plenty of insurance. Bryce Harper recorded another hit in the fifth inning, and in the eighth, Nick Castellanos hit a monster, 113.1mph home run, the hardest-hit ball of his entire career. Orion Kerkering, Seranthony Dominguez, and Jose Ruiz pitched 3.1 scoreless innings to secure the game-one win.
“Jump on the wagon,” Harper said to the media after the game. “C’mon, we’ll take everybody. I don’t care where you’re from [or] what you do. I’ll take anybody you got. You want to wear to Phillies stuff? You’re part of our family, part of Philly, just make sure you show up.”
Needless to say, growing the game of baseball is not just a publicity stunt for the baseball higher-ups. It’s truly for the game—for the players, coaches, and fans, alike. The Players love this. Bryce Harper casually strolled through the streets of London and admired how Londoners engaged with other people instead of their phones. Nick Castellanos commented on how well-dressed school students are, and when J.T. Realmuto was asked by the media if taking this series off was something he had considered, he answered with an adamant “no.”
Tomorrow, the Phillies and Mets will play the final game of the 2024 London Series at 10:10am on ESPN.
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