Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Phillies lose, but Bryce Harper passes first test at new position

Bryce Harper debuted at first base Friday. (Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire)

CLEVELAND — Perhaps it wasn’t Keith Hernandez-esque, but Bryce Harper looked proficient in his debut at first base for the Philadelphia Phillies Friday evening against the Guardians, at the very least.

Despite back-to-back home runs from J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott in the top of the seventh inning, the Phillies weren’t able to mount a comeback against the Guardians Friday, ultimately losing 6-5. Ranger Suárez gave up eight hits and four runs over five innings, while the Phillies went just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10 runners.

But even though there were quite a few negatives to take away from Friday’s loss, Harper looking capable at first base is still the long-term takeaway from the series opener in Cleveland.

The ball found Harper in each of the first four innings, and the natural right fielder was able to handle virtually every type of play asked of a first baseman:

In the bottom of the first inning, Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan grounded out to Harper on the second pitch that he saw:

Cleveland center fielder Myles Straw lined out to Harper at first base to open up the bottom of the second inning, a ball that the seven-time All-Star caught.
Guardians shortstop Amed Rosario fouled out into the camera well in the bottom of the third, and probably against the wishes of every other person in the Phillies organization, Harper leaped in and made the catch:

Harper successfully fielded a sacrifice bunt from Andrés Giménez in the bottom of the first inning, making sure to retire Cleveland’s second baseman rather than being over aggressive and firing to third base to try to gun down the lead runner.

“It felt good, I felt comfortable,” Harper said after the game. “Me and Dicky [infield coach Bobby Dickerson] have been working for a couple months now and it felt normal just going out there and playing, and just trying to slow it down as best as possible.”

Harper added that he feels fine physically, despite his third-inning tumble into the camera well.

In addition to Harper succeeding in his first test at a new position, Harper no longer being at DH allowed the Phillies to get Kyle Schwarber — who has -18 defensive runs saved and -15 outs above average — out of left field without losing his bat in the lineup.

Jake Cave — recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Friday’s game — is a significant upgrade over Schwarber in left field, both in terms of the reads he gets on balls hit to him and his throwing arm.

Manager Rob Thomson said before the game Friday that Harper wouldn’t play at first base Saturday regardless of how things went. Although nothing is set in stone, the tentative plan seems to be that Harper will play every other game at first base early on. That would mean he’ll DH Saturday, pushing Schwarber back to left field. Cave — who went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk Friday — played first base in his final game at Lehigh Valley Thursday, and is a candidate to play the position Saturday with Cleveland slated to give the ball to righty Tanner Bibee.

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