PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper snagged a one-hopper on an infield drill, earning a "nice play, Harp!" from manager Rob Thomson. A two-time NL MVP, Harper later chucked a baseball from first base into the left field seats. "That won't get it done," infield coach Bobby Dickerson yelled.
"That guy's going to score." Harper and the rest of the NL East champion Phillies will do what they can this week to stay sharp ahead of Game 1 Saturday in the NL Division Series. The Phillies — who will play either Milwaukee or the Mets — made the playoffs for the third straight season, a 2024 division championship flag already waved from atop its pole in the outfield concourse.
While October baseball has a familiar feel in Philly, the five-day layoff is new. The Phillies won NL Wild Card Series with sweeps of St. Louis in 2022 and the Marlins last season before they knocked out Atlanta in the NLDS both years.
The Phillies' 12th division crown earned them the No. 2 seed behind Los Angeles in the National League — and a short respite from the playoff grind. Just don't call it a break.
"It's not a vacation," second baseman Bryson Stott said following Tuesday's workout. The Phillies took batting practice, infield drills and pitchers fielding drills as they tried to keep a routine as close to normal as it gets during the regular season. Led by team captains that include Harper and Trea Turner for one team, and Kyle Schwarber and J.
T Realmuto for the other, the Phillies will play an intrasquad .