PHILADELPHIA – Bryce Harper’s calculated risk had backfired. He was ejected to end Game 2 of the Phillies’ NLDS showdown against the Braves, a win that made it seem like all would be well for baseball’s best regular-season team.
What happened after Harper was doubled Monday night highlights the fundamental difference between these two NL East rivals this October: These Phillies are built for this. These Braves weren’t.
Harper, the Phillies and their fans spent the next two games trying to knock the Braves out of the NLDS playoffs for the second straight year, ensuring that the electric double play would be the last piece of baseball at Truist Park until April.
The Braves, who won 104 games between March 30 and September 30, won just once in October. Their powerful offense, considered one of the best in baseball history, scored eight runs in four games. Aside from a turnaround in Game 2, they managed just three runs in 32 innings.
The Phillies have three trusted starters, and they were all masterful in the series. Rob Thomson made 18 pitch changes in four games, and almost all of them resulted in a scoreless frame. The Phillies failed to hit nine home runs in their two home wins when Nick Castellanos caught fire.
“We got beat and didn’t play well enough to win the series. “It’s that simple. We got beat by a really good club that has a fondness for this time of year,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters after Game 4.
The Phillies used everything they could on the field. But this series will be remembered for the advantage the Braves gave them in their own clubhouse.
The Braves’ season-ending loss began minutes after Harper was ejected in Atlanta. Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia, an eight-year MLB veteran, mocked Harper within earshot of reporters in the clubhouse. “Atta-boy, Harper” will be a rallying cry in Philly for years to come.
It’s not advisable to add extra motivation to Bryce Harper in a playoff series, but having fun at the opponent’s expense – especially after a comeback playoff win – is a justifiable move. The problem after the quote was released was that Arcia and the Braves didn’t own it. They let it go and gave Harper the chance to make it his moment.
He savored the occasion with a verve that could be felt by more than 45,000 spectators.
Arcia didn’t address AttaBoyGate until Game 3, two Harper home runs and two Harper staredowns later. Arcia admitted to saying it — something Braves fans and even their radio announcers said questioned during Game 3 on Wednesday – adding: “He shouldn’t have heard it.”
The Braves spent their time following an eight-run loss in Game 3 expressing disappointment with reporters for reporting what was said days before. Arcia, who made himself the main character for the crowd at Citizens Bank Park, finished the series with a .154 average and a raucous matchup with Phillies fans.
When things finally unraveled for the Braves in 2023, they unraveled quickly.
When the Phillies got a “slap in the face,” as Nick Castellanos put it after Game 2, they rallied behind their star player.
The Phillies defeated the Braves 11-3 in the series, and their six dingers in the Game 3 victory set a playoff record. The top railing of the home bench was constantly filled with players ready to react to the next long ball.
The Phillies’ dugout can feel like an extension of the audience in these playoff games. And vice versa. They leave the whining about the playoff format and the ethics of clubhouse journalism to others; They just want to create “four hours of hell” (even though the pitch clock now says it’s more like “three hours and 15 minutes of hell.”)
Before this series even began, Phillies fans got into a war on social media with Braves mascot Blooper, who said the Phillie Phanatic was past his prime (the mascot equivalent of an “Atta-Boy, Harper”). In Game 4 on Thursday, The Braves reportedly called security after their bullpen was being harassed too much.
“I love this place. Totally, I love this place,” Harper said after Game 3. “There’s nothing better than coming into the dugout and playing in front of these fans. Worker mentality, tough, fighting every day. I get that.” Chills, man. I’m so excited.
The Braves may have the most talented roster in baseball and are just two years away from winning the World Series. But since then, two promising seasons have ended abruptly in the same stadium. The Braves have a 0-4 record in playoff games in South Philly over the last two years and have been outscored 30-7 in those four games. They knew what to expect this week, but they didn’t seem quite prepared for it.
Atlanta had a celebration at Citizens Bank Park this year when the team won the NL East on September 13th. 29 days later, champagne bottles were thrown into the hallway where Arcia’s infamous words were displayed.
The Braves tried to have the last laugh after Game 2 of a five-game series. The Phillies took advantage.