For Philadelphia Phillies fans, the nightmare is finally over.
On Saturday, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper snapped a long home run drought, smashing a solo shot in the second game of a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park.
With the Phillies trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning, Harper tied the ballgame up, depositing a 1-0 changeup from Padres starter Ryan Weathers deep into the bullpens in right-centerfield.
For Harper, it’s his first long ball since May 25 and snaps a streak of 166 plate appearances without a homer, the longest of his 12-year career.
In 57 games this season, Harper has gone deep only four times since his return from offseason Tommy John surgery. However, considering Harper was initially scheduled to return to the field around this time following his rehab, having him back so early has the Phillies thanking their lucky stars despite the low home run total.
While Harper hasn’t quite gotten into the swing of things power-wise yet, he has contributed in other ways, even if he can’t field a position yet. Entering Saturday’s action, Harper had 28 RBI and 33 walks, slashing .293/.386/.400.
Regarding Harper’s defensive contributions, he hasn’t played the field since April of last year after dealing with elbow issues which ultimately led to offseason surgery.
However, Harper might need his glove sooner rather than later. Earlier this week, Phillies manager Rob Thomson revealed that Harper is “really close” to starting a game at first base.
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