The Philadelphia Phillies need a win or an Arizona Diamondbacks loss today to clinch a Wild Card spot in the National League on the regular season's final day. So how did they get here? Well, the Phillies have lost four games in a row and have been outscored 23-3 during this span. They had a 6.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks on Sept. 1, but have gone just 9-14 this month. If the Phillies miss out on the postseason, it will be an epic collapse.
Luckily, Zack Wheeler is taking the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays in a must-win game, so the Phillies have a pretty good shot of clinching a Wild Card berth on Sunday. And if they do so, their superstar player, Bryce Harper, will have a ton of pressure on him this October, according to one rival scout.
Why this postseason means more for Phillies' Bryce Harper
It appears that Harper will be ticketed for the Baseball Hall of Fame when all is said and done and the book is closed on his illustrious career. However, the 33-year-old still has never won a championship in his 15-year MLB tenure.
"Bryce Harper needs a title to complete his resume," one rival NL scout said. "Not sure anyone else has more pressure in regards to their legacy. They have had stacked teams in Philly and the everyday fans know that the Nationals won (a title) after he left."
Harper and the Phillies got close to winning a title in 2022, which saw them lose to the Houston Astros in six games. Harper had his biggest postseason moment with a go-ahead home run against the San Diego Padres in the NLCS, lifting the Phillies to the NL pennant. But the Phillies ultimately came up short in '22 and then again in 2023 when they lost in the NLCS to the Diamondbacks. The Phillies haven't made it past the NLDS since then despite making the playoffs the last two years.
As previously alluded to, the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019, which was the same year that Harper left in free agency to sign a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies. As impressive as Harper's career in the majors has been, he still needs to win a title to stamp his legacy as one of the all-time great players.
For that, no one has more pressure on them to perform this postseason. The Phillies need to make it there first, but if they do, Harper must step up and lead his team on a deep run in October.
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