Bryce Harper was not going back to San Diego.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the defending NL MVP blasted what turned out to be the pennant-winning, two-run home run to send the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series since 2009.
The Phillies beat the San Diego Padres four games to one to clinch the appearance in the Fall Classic.
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Harper's homer came on a 2-2 pitch after J.T. Realmuto led off the inning with a single as the Phillies were down by a run. That blast gave the Phillies the 4-3 lead, and eventually, the victory.
The Padres rallied off David Robertson in the ninth, putting the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first. That prompted Rob Thomson to go with starter Ranger Suarez for the final two outs. Trent Grisham sacrificed the runners over on his first pitch, but Austin Nola (brother of Phillies' pitcher, Aaron) flied out to Nick Castellanos to end the game.
The Phillies grounded into a double play in both the first and second innings, but with a man on first in the third, they took advantage. Rhys Hoskins launched his fourth home run of the NLCS, giving Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.
Juan Soto answered back in the fourth with a solo shot, but other than that, Zack Wheeler was on the money. Jake Cronenworth led off the seventh inning with a single, which ended Wheeler’s day – perhaps a bit too quickly - but not before he tossed yet another postseason gem. He threw six innings of three-hit ball while walking none and striking out eight.
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Seranthony Dominguez was the first man out of the pen, but he threw a wild pitch to put the tying run at second. On his next pitch, Josh Bell doubled to right-center to tie the game at two. Two batters later, Dominguez threw two more wild pitches to score pinch runner Jose Azocar all the way from second. Three wild pitches and a double gave San Diego a 3-2 lead.
But Harper's answer put Citizens Bank Park on their feet, and they didn't sit down for the rest of the contest. And they probably won't sit down for quite some time.
The Phillies entered the postseason as the sixth seed in the National League – MLB expanded to a 12-team postseason, six from each league, before the season started. Any other year, and the Phillies would have been planning golf trips.
Instead, they now seem like a team of destiny.
They will await the winner of the ALCS - likely the Houston Astros, who lead three games to none.
