'Storybook stuff': Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series

Seventy minutes aft hitting the astir important location tally of his beingness Sunday, a two-run blast that won the Philadelphia Phillies the National League Championship Series, Bryce Harper was astatine the halfway of the clubhouse, surrounded by his teammates arsenic brew and champagne soaked anyone wrong spraying range.

"Give maine each of it, springiness maine each of it," the bid MVP shouted to his teammates. His privation was instantly granted, arsenic brew poured down connected him from each direction.

Harper's spot successful the mediate of the solemnisation was lone fitting, arsenic was the information that helium manufactured the infinitesimal that sent his Phillies to the World Series. He has been the look of the franchise since the 2019 time helium committed to the metropolis for 13 years aft proprietor John Middleton wrote a $330 cardinal cheque to bring him to Philadelphia.

Despite plentifulness of moments erstwhile helium mightiness person doubted helium made the close prime successful leaving Washington for Philadelphia arsenic a escaped agent, Harper has ever embraced his caller home. Even erstwhile his aged team, the Washington Nationals, won the World Series successful 2019. Even erstwhile Philadelphia changed GMs and managers much than erstwhile during a turbulent archetypal 4 years with the franchise -- including erstwhile Rob Thomson took implicit for Joe Girardi aft a 22-29 commencement this season.

"I don't similar looking back," Harper said aft the game, with his MVP trophy sitting adjacent to him. "I similar looking guardant and moving forward. This crippled is 'what person you done for maine lately?'"

He ne'er mislaid faith, ever believing what Middleton had promised him: The enactment would ever enactment winning supra each else.

Not agelong aft the Sunday location run, proprietor and prima met connected the tract amid celebratory chaos. Their hug lasted longer than the formation of the shot -- which near the playing tract astatine 108.9 mph. Middleton was asked if the clasp meant thing other special.

"You stake it did," helium said. "$330 cardinal later, and communal promises of being committed to winning and doing immoderate it took to win. He did that."

The location tally that sent Philadelphia backmost to the World Series for the archetypal clip since 2009 justified the Phillies' spending connected Harper, arsenic good arsenic the escaped cause deals this outpouring that brought successful Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos -- some of whom had front-row views of Harper's blast; Schwarber from the dugout, and Castellanos from the on-deck circle. "It looked similar I was having an exorcism connected the dugout rail," Schwarber said successful a beer-soaked locker room. "Man, he's nasty."

Castellanos marveled astatine however antithetic the solemnisation felt from erstwhile Harper had deed a walk-off location tally against Castellanos' Cubs 3 years earlier.

"The mode helium ran astir the bases [in 2019] was brainsick and energetic," Castellanos said. "Tonight, helium was the calmest idiosyncratic successful the stadium. I deliberation that's a batch of maturation connected his part.

"Watching him [tonight] was a large acquisition for me. The mode helium was capable to immerse himself successful the infinitesimal and enactment focused and calm was f---ing incredible. Please usage those nonstop words."

This clubhouse littered with bare bottles of Budweiser and champagne was ever the extremity erstwhile Castellanos and Schwarber signed with Philadelphia wrong days of each different aft the lockout, giving Harper immoderate much-needed thump astir his ain powerfulness bat successful the lineup.

For Castellanos, this is the winning squad helium has been connected a ngo to find ever since being drafted by Detroit successful 2010. After going 10 large league seasons without winning a postseason series, helium has enjoyed 3 champagne celebrations conscionable this month.

"We some privation to triumph truthful bad," Castellanos said erstwhile asked what helium learned of Harper this season. "That's 1 happening we person successful common."

For Schwarber, winning has ne'er been an issue. He has done it everyplace he's been his full career. Praised arsenic the eventual glue feline successful the Phillies clubhouse passim this postseason, Schwarber has appeared successful six league title bid for 3 antithetic teams. But helium was wounded for the lone pennant-clinching triumph of his career, erstwhile the Chicago Cubs won it each successful 2016. He ne'er got the afloat playoff acquisition until now.

"It was chill for me," helium said Sunday betwixt puffs of a cigar. "To beryllium with them the full year, from time one, has been awesome. Last clip [in Chicago] I was down for the full year."

This was besides a archetypal for the longest-tenured Phillies presumption player, archetypal baseman Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins had 4 location runs successful 5 games this bid and mightiness person been named MVP if not for Harper's heroics -- but couldn't bring himself to attraction astir that portion helium celebrated his archetypal pennant win.

"It's a dream," Hoskins said, wide-eyed connected the tract afterward. "This enactment is the 1 that believed successful maine and gave maine an accidental to interaction the metropolis of Philadelphia successful immoderate mode I could."

Harper's accomplishment signaled to Hoskins that the enactment was superior astir winning aft years of frustration. Until this season, Hoskins had ne'er played successful a postseason game, alternatively having to perceive stories of glory astir teams from the past. Every clip helium looked up astatine the video scoreboard during this series, determination was different Phillies large looking down from the stands: Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino -- each members of the team's 2008 World Series-winning squad.

The imagination of joining those erstwhile players arsenic champions became realistic erstwhile Harper arrived. Hoskins wasn't amazed that it was Harper who delivered the large play that yet got him there.

"It's astir apt thing that he's had successful his caput since the clip helium picked up a bat," Hoskins said. "It's been a while. He changed cities and had to get utilized to a caller organization. For him to travel done successful that infinitesimal is storybook stuff."

Later, successful a hallway underneath the stands down location plate, Harper shared a infinitesimal with histrion Miles Teller, a immense Phillies fan, portion inactive clutching his MVP trophy. He sat successful the media country and said each the close things: The squad isn't satisfied with conscionable winning the pennant and has 4 much games to triumph from here. But Harper looked astir comfy backmost successful the clubhouse, allowing brew to beryllium poured connected him portion sharing a triumph that ended the bid -- alternatively of packing up to caput crossed the state for Game 6.

"I didn't privation to get backmost connected that formation backmost to San Diego," helium said. "I conscionable didn't privation to get connected a 5½-hour flight. I wanted to bent retired astatine location and bask this astatine location with these fans and this enactment and this instrumentality base."

The Phillies are headed to the World Series due to the fact that of Harper. This is his team and present his city -- and it was his heroics that allowed his location fans to observe the triumph successful their ballpark.