Bryce Harper is having fun again as 4-extra-base-hit day shows Phillies star feels just fine

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SAN FRANCISCO — Bryce Harper is 32, which is not old, but he’s been a big leaguer for 14 seasons now. He is the old guy. It’s staggering to think of Harper like that. But he has seen so much in this game — the glory, the heartbreak, the changes — all of it. Sometimes, he looks bored by the whole endeavor. Baseball, like life, is exhausting.

It doesn’t hurt to have some fun.

“I’m really good,” Harper said. “I mean, I really am. I don’t want to put that out there, and everybody goes, ‘Oh, what’s he talking about?’ But I know when I’m going well, I’m one of the best in baseball. I’m healthy. I’m strong. I feel great.”

Anyone who watched Wednesday’s 13-0 Phillies win over the San Francisco Giants that doubled as an exorcism would deduce that Harper is back. He collected four extra-base hits in a game for the first time in his career. He hit all of them to the opposite field — the tell-tale sign that Harper is balanced at the plate. It was a masterful performance. If he was anywhere but Oracle Park, he probably would have hit three homers.

But there is a certain energy when Harper is right — truly right — and the Phillies have not felt it all season. When healthy in 2025, he’s been good but not great. He expects great. And now that he’s older, the daily grind might be a tougher slog. The moments with a capital M, for Harper, reside in October. So, when greatness is a little harder to achieve during the season, he wears it.

He’s looked miserable. He played through wrist pain. He chased too many breaking balls. Even when he had a good night, he would downplay it afterward. He flogged himself for a dumb swing.

This felt different.

“You can tell what he did today,” Trea Turner said. “I feel like he got everyone going. He kept the line moving.”

“Big time,” Jesús Luzardo said. “When Bryce goes, I think the whole team goes.”

How ’bout an oppo taco? pic.twitter.com/wUZ3bc4pXo

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 9, 2025

So, here are the Phillies, a team with a tremendous rotation and a leaky bullpen and an inconsistent lineup. They are on pace for 94 wins. The season is 93 games deep. Wednesday, Harper enjoyed his first moment with four mighty swings. It’s amazing the Phillies are where they are without more moments from Harper so far. About 16 hours after suffering one of the craziest defeats in franchise history, they bludgeoned a bunch of Giants pitchers. That felt good.

The reward: They have Thursday off in San Diego. That feels even better.

“I don’t think we’ve all played our best baseball yet — collectively as a group and probably some individually,” Turner said. “I think Bryce would tell you that, too. He expects a lot out of himself and I think days like today are what he expects. So it’s frustrating when he’s not doing what he is capable of. I know he takes his walks and keeps it moving. But he wants to hit. He wants to drive the ball. I think the injuries are really tough. Who knows when he feels good or when he doesn’t.”

He is feeling good now.

“It’s just putting myself in the plus counts,” Harper said. “I haven’t done that. I feel stronger than ever. Being able to go oppo and do those things today … anywhere else I might have three homers, right? Those are things you think about. I hate talking about individual stuff. You guys know that. But if I get into good counts and don’t swing at crap away or in or anything else, then I’ll be where I need to be.”

Bryce Harper reacts after one of his three doubles. (Kavin Mistry / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Harper raised his season OPS by 37 points in a single day. He’s hitting .259/.370/.449 this season. He has hit behind in the count a higher percentage this season than in 2024 and 2023. But, on Wednesday, he homered on a 3-1 fastball in the zone from Justin Verlander. He doubled on a 1-0 changeup just outside the zone. He doubled on a 1-0 curveball down in the zone to begin the eighth inning. Then, with a full count later in that eighth inning, he drove a sinker to left-center for his third double.

For only the second time this season, he took five 0-0 pitches in a game. The other time he did it was … the night before. Entering Wednesday, Harper had swung at the first pitch 52.7 percent of the time, which is by far the highest rate of his career.

It was time for an adjustment.

“I mean, everything will fall into place,” Harper said. “Sounds super simple, and it should be simple. It’s just doing it and buying in on that. When I’m ahead in a count, it’s pretty good swings. Usually, I have pretty good opportunities to do that.”

This is part of getting old, whether or not Harper wants to acknowledge it. Habits die hard. Pitchers are better. Teams are smarter. His bat speed hasn’t slowed, but there will always be ways to exploit even the greatest hitters.

Harper has to be nimble. It’s difficult when you’re despondent.

“Mentally, you have to be strong,” Harper said. “Obviously, you don’t want to be where you are. I don’t want to be where I am right now. That’s the ups and downs of the season. But, for me, just being confident in my ability going out there. Not trying to do too much. Understand my swing is really good. I’m healthy. I’m strong.”

He wanted to talk more about being ahead in the count. This is everything to Harper right now, and when he sets his mind to something, good things tend to happen. He initiated a seven-run eighth inning for the Phillies with his third extra-base hit of the day. Then, when he came to bat again in the same inning, he crushed another one.

From second base, he smiled at his teammates. All of the noise quieted for one afternoon.

“When your best player is playing well,” Turner said, “I think that gives confidence to everyone around him.”

(Top photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

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