Categories: 2024 Postgame Recaps

Bryce Harper, Phillies bring show to London in victory over Mets

Bryce Harper homered in Saturday’s win. (John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 7, Mets 2

London got a front-row view Saturday of what the United States has seen for much of the 2024 season — an explosive Philadelphia Phillies team that may very well be the class of the sport.

Through the first three innings of Saturday’s game at London Stadium — typically the home of West Ham United F.C. — New York Mets starter Sean Manaea dominated the Phillies, holding them out of the hits column.

Bryce Harper, as he tends to do in big moments, delivered a big hit on the international stage in the top of the fourth inning, crushing a solo home run that tied the game 1-1. That one-out blast sparked a six-run inning that carried the Phillies to their fourth consecutive win, and first ever outside of North America.

Ranger Suárez wasn’t quite as sharp as he’s been for much of this season, but he still turned in an effective outing, scattering eight hits and two runs over 5 2/3 innings pitched, while striking out six batters. In his first start since suffering a left hand contusion that forced him to depart his June 1 outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, Suárez improved to 10-1, the latest chapter in what’s been one of the greatest halves in franchise history.

It’s not just Suárez who is halving one of the best stretches in team history, but the Phillies as a whole, who improved to 45-19 with Saturday’s win. For reference, the Phillies didn’t win their 45th game in 2023 until July 4.

Highlights

Starling Marte got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, trading places with Francisco Lindor with an RBI double.

If you were going to script the worst possible pitch you could throw to Harper, it would look like the sweeper that Manaea hung with one out in the top of the fourth inning.

Always the showman, Harper came prepared with a footy-themed celebration:

Later in the inning, Edmundo Sosa singled into right field, plating Alec Bohm to give the Phillies their first lead of the game.

Whit Merrifield — getting the start in left field — delivered the biggest blow of the inning, a three-run blast that plated Sosa and Bryson Stott:

Before the inning was out, Kyle Schwarber also brought Cristian Pache home with an RBI single to center field.

The Mets got their second run of the day on a J.D. Martinez RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth that scored Lindor.

Nick Castellanos gave the Phillies an insurance run with a towering solo shot in the top of the eighth inning.

The Mets did load the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning against Phillies reliever José Ruiz, but he induced a game-ending double play ball off the bat of Martinez.

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