After taking a 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers return home to Dodger Stadium with a chance to sweep the Philadelphia Phillies and punch their ticket to the NL Championship Series.
The Dodgers have taken the commanding series lead in part by keeping the top of the Phillies’ lineup in check, which includes Bryce Harper, who is just 1-for-7 with a single and walk through the first two games.
Harper knows the Phillies need his production if they want to have any chance of pulling off an upset and winning three-straight games against the Dodgers, and he hopes returning to Dodger Stadium can be a spark for him.
Harper first made his MLB debut at Dodger Stadium in 2012, and he’s hit .286/.354/.524 across 34 games at Chavez Ravine.
“I love playing here, I love being in L.A., I love the West Coast, always have,” Harper said. “Obviously, when you’re growing up, the Dodgers were the Dodgers. My dad hated the Dodgers because he was a Big Red Machine fan, but I loved them.
“It’s a good baseball team. It’s a lot of fun to watch. They do a great job over there, obviously. They’re the team to beat year in, year out. It’s always fun for me to come out here. I enjoy it, I’ve got a lot of family and friends out this way. I love playing at Dodgers, always have.
“The ball flies here. It wasn’t always like that, but it does now. It’s a lot of fun coming here and playing.”
Coming to Dodger Stadium also represents a chance for Harper and the Phillies to get away from Citizens Bank Park, where they struggled the last two games. That led to some of their fans booing and may have added more pressure on a team already looking for anything positive to get them going.
Some Phillies, including Nick Castellanos, said the boos affected the Phillies and created a more difficult environment for them. However, Harper pushed back on that and doesn’t believe it got to him.
“I don’t feel that way,” Harper said. “I love playing at the Bank. I love our fans. I boo myself when I get out. I’m the same way. I trust in what they do. They show up for us every day, day in and day out. They spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play.
“They expect greatness out of us and I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates as well. If they believe that, I don’t know what’s going through their head or mindset. We’ve got some of the best fans in baseball, and they make me play better. So I enjoy it. I will probably get booed tomorrow night, too. So it’s kind of the same thing. It’s, like, what are we talking about? Same stuff.”
Regardless of how much the fans in Philadelphia have affected the Phillies, Dodger Stadium does not figure to be kind to them, either. With the Phillies on the brink of elimination, Dodgers fans will surely be showing up in full force and loud all night.
Bryce Harper doesn’t remember Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s start
After being held in check by Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell, the Phillies face another tall order with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for Game 3.
Yamamoto pitched six innings and allowed just one unearned run ina. tough-luck loss at Citizens Bank Park, but the outing wasn’t one Harper could recall.
“I didn’t even know when I faced him. I can’t remember,” he said. “I can’t remember that far back. I’m sorry.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
