Bryce Harper & Phillies Belittled for Premature Celebration as NL East Title Fails to Solve Mounting Concerns

The Philadelphia Phillies are riding on their high horses—after all, they are the National League East champions. They just beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4, and the entire clubhouse was in celebration for his big victory. Bryce Harper couldn’t help but grin ear to ear because after ninety wins and back-to-back division crowns, his dream seems close to happening. On the surface, it is everything a team could dream of in mid-September.

But just like the layers of an onion, if you peel back the layers of this celebration, the picture isn’t all that perfect. They might have clinched the East, but they have some brewing issues. These issues could potentially disrupt their momentum in October. And one such glaring problem is Aaron Nola.

Now, for years, he was the guy you trusted in a playoff rotation. However, now he has a 6.44 ERA and has gone through a string of rough outings. So his role in the team is shaky at best. Ranger Suarez, Christopher Sanchez, and Jesus Luzardo are locked for the first three games, but when you start asking about a Game 4, suddenly Aaron Nola doesn’t feel like a sure-shot answer anymore.

Even the Inquirer’s David Murphy called the celebration a little premature, writing, “The big shame of Major League Baseball’s new six-team playoff format is nights like last night. The Phillies clinched their second straight division title, which is an accomplishment worth celebrating. Yet, on a practical level, they haven’t accomplished anything yet. The real prize will come whenever they clinch the second seed, which will guarantee them a bye through the wild card round.” This basically means that the Phillies might have won the crown for now, but the real prize—the one they really want—is still miles away. Because if the Phillies end up losing the next two games, even then, LA will be right back at their heels.

That is why Inquirer’s question,

“How can a team throw a good, honest party knowing that the next day of work is as important as the last?” And it’s not just Nola, right? There are also internal issues. The problem with Nick Castellanos and Rob Thomson is that a subplot can hang like a heavy cloud over the clubhouse. Castellanos hasn’t seen many right-handed matchups lately, and when he was yanked late despite racing late, the frustration was clear. Castellanos voiced his frustration to Rob Thomson in a rather heated exchange. And Castellanos admitted afterwards that, “I wasn’t happy about it, and I spoke my mind.” Thomson also recently slammed the door on Castellanos, saying, “Check your ego at the door and let’s go.”

Well, go for sure—they are not that they won—but this uneasy relationship can sour further under the playoff pressure. So, yes, while September so far has been great, October could bring a hangover they are not ready for.

Philadelphia Phillies’ October dreams rest on one big shoulder

There is no doubt that the Phillies are at the thick of things, given just a couple of weeks remain in the regular season. The Phillies are sitting at 89-61 and only two games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the No. 1 seed in the National League. Also, for the best record in all of baseball. But here is the thing: to get over the hurdle ahead, the Phillies will need their stars to play like the stars they are—and no one carries more weight of the pressure than Bryce Harper.

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report actually names Harper one of the 12 players to be under the most pressure for now—he puts him in the number two spot. “Really, the takeaway here is that there’s as much pressure on the Phillies as any other team this October. But as the face of the Phillies, Harper carries the largest weight of that pressure, which is why he’s No. 2,” Kelly mentioned.

And it is understandable why the Philly world is relying on Harper. He has a .280/.394/.622 slash line in 53 career postseason games, with 17 homers. Also, one cannot possibly forget that shot in 2022 that sent the team to the World Series, right? But the main issue is that the Phillies have never been able to stretch to the finish line. Every postseason since 2022 has ended sooner rather than later. Their last year’s NDLS exit against the Yankees, for example, was another deja vu.

Moreover, time really is running out for Bryce Harper to fulfill his unfinished dreams. Plus, with multiple star players of the Philadelphia Phillies plausibly exiting the team this off-season, this is the golden opportunity Harper can’t afford to miss.