SAN FRANCISCO — The crowd behind home plate jeered Bryce Harper as he stepped up to bat in the ninth inning Monday afternoon, chanting at the left-handed slugger as he dug into the batter’s box and tapped each edge of the plate.
“What’s the matter with Harp-er?” the San Francisco Giants fans yelled. “He’s a bum! What’s the matter with Harp-er? He’s a …”
And then, they were quiet. The crowd stopped chanting and started gawking as Harper sent the 1-1 pitch from reliever Jean Machi to deep right field, over the brick wall, over the “Levi’s Landing” sign, over the first section of bleachers and nearly out of AT&T Park altogether.
Harper’s homer, which helped lead the Washington Nationals to a 4-1 win in Game 3, was his second monstrous home run in three games, another highlight-reel shot to wow fans, teammates and opponents alike. For some, it was only further proof of the 21-year-old’s once-in-a-generation ability. Harper has now hit three postseason homer in his young career. Only Mickey Mantle, Miguel Cabrera and Andruw Jones hit more before turning 22, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
The home runs are important, particularly for a slumping Nationals lineup. But beyond the bombs and behind the scenes, Harper showed something else in the first three games of the postseason: growth.
“Obviously everyone knows the tools that Bryce has,” reliever Tyler Clippard said. “But I think, more importantly, Bryce has grown as a person, which has helped him know how to communicate with his teammates and be the guy that we saw [Monday] making those big, defensive plays, knowing where to go with the ball after he catches it, throwing to the right bases, doing the little things.”
Harper was on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was 16 years old in large part because of his ability to hit eye-popping home runs. But in the early stages of his second trip to the postseason, he showed an all-around ability in every aspect of the game.
It was particularly evident Monday, when Harper scooped Travis Ishikawa’s line drive off the grass in the seventh inning with a runner on second base. Or when he scored from first base on Madison Bumgarner’s throwing error earlier in the inning, sprinting behind Ian Desmond and pushing Washington’s lead to 2-0. Or even in the beginning of the game, when he slammed against the left-field wall in the second inning to rob Hunter Pence of extra bases.
“The first play he made, that is certainly a momentum-swinger for the other dugout. And if that ball gets in or gets off the wall, you’re looking at a couple runs,” Nationals manager Matt Williams said. “With their ace going, it’s an uphill climb. But the fact that he made that play allows us to relax a little bit and go about our business in a more traditional fashion, because he made the play.”
The weather only increased the difficultly level. While tracking the ball to the wall, Harper was also dealing with a sharp glare from the sun.
“It’s very tough,” he said after the game. “We have that a little bit in D.C. in center, so really had it all year long. It’s definitely tough, trying to battle out there. Make some catches and make some plays and not let them score and not let them hit.”
Entering Tuesday night’s Game 4, Harper was only 6 for 37 in eight career playoff games, a .162 batting average. But at every turn, it seems he is leaving his mark on the game. Five of his six hits have gone for extra bases. Of the seven times he has reached base, he has proceeded to score five times.
“He ran the bases well [in Game 3]. He played good defense,” Williams said. “All of those things combined just proves what kind of talent he’s got.”
After the game, television analysts praised each aspect of Harper’s home run swing, from his pivot foot to his strong front leg. The swing was what drew most of the rave reviews. The home run was what looped through highlight packages.
But what matters most in the Nationals clubhouse are those little things that Clippard mentioned. From the field to the base paths to his composure in the clubhouse, Harper has shown this October just how much he’s grown up.
“You know, when he puts it all together, he’s special. And I think everybody can see that,” Clippard said. “We’re happy he’s on our team.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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