PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper has long desired to play a baseball game on his birthday. However, he never got the chance during his time with the Nationals. It wasn’t until last year, after joining the Phillies, that Harper finally reached the playoffs on his birthday, which coincidentally fell on an off-day following the National League Division Series.
While an October birthday has its advantages, such as the pleasant fall weather, it rarely presents opportunities for on-field brilliance.
So, when the moment arrived this year, Harper made the most of it, becoming only the fourth player in AL/NL history to hit a home run on his birthday in the postseason. As he crossed home plate in the first inning of Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the D-backs, Harper extended three fingers on his left hand and one on his right, mimicking blowing out candles to celebrate his 31st birthday.
The crowd at Citizens Bank Park, according to teammate Kyle Schwarber, went wild in response.
“Playing on your birthday, especially this late in the season, is pretty cool,” said Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. “It’s a big deal.”
Harper joined the ranks of Willie Aikens, Evan Longoria, and Kolten Wong as the only players to hit a home run on their birthdays in the postseason. Both Harper and Aikens are the only ones to achieve this feat in the LCS or World Series, and they are also the only players to do so while recording multiple hits.
Harper contributed further with an RBI single in the third inning and a walk in the fifth, reaching base three times and scoring twice. Aikens, a prominent member of the 1980 Royals, still holds the distinction of being the only birthday boy to hit two home runs in a postseason game.
Turning 31 seemed to agree with Harper. His day began with a midnight text from his wife, Kayla, who made it a point to be the first to wish him well. Harper expressed his excitement to play on his birthday before the game, and then he proceeded to make his birthday one to remember.
In the first inning, facing NL Cy Young Award hopeful Zac Gallen with one out and the bases empty, Harper smashed a first-pitch fastball to right-center field. The ball hit a railing and bounced into the home bullpen. As Harper rounded third base, he came up with the idea of mimicking blowing out candles, which he executed once he stepped on home plate.
“It’s crazy,” Harper commented. “Sometimes I just do things, and it feels right.”
Back in the dugout, Turner initially thought Harper was gesturing four fingers to represent his four home runs in this postseason. It made sense, given that Harper has been arguably the NL’s most dominant hitter in October, boasting a slash line of .409/.567/.955 in 30 plate appearances, along with seven RBIs, nine runs scored, and eight walks.
The Phillies have won all nine games in which Harper has hit a home run in the postseason, including his recent streak of four home runs in five games.
“This guy craves the big moment,” Schwarber remarked. “He wants it. Harper is doing an incredible job for us. Every time he steps up to the plate, you’re expecting something special. Is it unfair to have such high expectations for a player? Maybe. But that’s what everyone in the dugout is thinking: ‘What will this guy do next?'”
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