Bryce Harper threw his helmet off rounding the bases, thrust his arms in the air and screamed while teammates stormed out of the dugout to mob him.
That was what Philadelphia had been waiting for from their US$330 million man.
Harper on Tuesday hit a two-run double off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen with one out in the bottom of the ninth after pinch-hitter Matt Beaty hit a three-run homer off Phillies closer Hector Neris in the top half, rallying Philadelphia to a 9-8 win over Los Angeles.
Photo: AP
“That’s what baseball is all about,” Harper said. “Against one of the best closers, it’s always fun.”
Pinch-hitter Andrew Knapp hit a double with one out after Adam Haseley’s grounder hit off Jansen’s right foot near the ankle and rolled to first base.
Cesar Hernandez followed with a single and Scott Kingery’s bloop single to center scored Knapp to get the Phillies within a run.
Harper then ripped a ball to the gap that bounced off A.J. Pollock’s glove and went to the wall to win it.
“That was a huge moment for Bryce,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. “You could see how important that was for him.”
The Phillies rebounded from a 16-2 loss in the opener of a four-game series against the two-time defending National League champions.
Cody Bellinger hit his major league-leading 34th homer and Max Muncy, A.J. Pollock and Joc Pederson also went deep for the Dodgers.
Harper hit a three-run homer and had five RBIs for the first time since April 19, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia. Brad Miller and Kingery also connected for the Phillies.
Ranger Suarez (1-0) got two outs for the win.
Neris was ejected after hitting pinch-hitter David Freese in the back with the next pitch after Beaty homered, and Kapler was also tossed.
Jansen (3-3) has four blown saves in 24 tries. He was limping in the clubhouse after the game.
“I should’ve come out of the game,” Jansen said.
Kingery drove his 13th homer out to left to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Muncy crushed his 25th homer on an 0-2 pitch in the second to tie it at 1-1.
After J.T. Realmuto reached on a throwing error on third baseman Justin Turner to start the Philadelphia’s second, Miller hit a two-run shot.
Harper then blasted his 17th homer to deep center with two outs to make it 5-1.
Bellinger lined a two-run shot in the fourth inning and Pollock connected one batter later to cut the deficit to 6-4.
Pederson launched his 21st homer in the fifth.
Also on Tuesday, the Yankees defeated the Rays 8-3, the Blue Jays routed the Red Sox 10-4, the Nationals thrashed the Orioles 8-1, the Marlins mastered the Padres 12-7, the Pirates edged the Cardinals 3-1, the Diamondbacks beat the Rangers 9-2 and Royals crushed the White Sox 11-0.
The Mets edged the Twins 3-2, the Indians thrashed the Tigers 8-0, the Cubs defeated the Reds 4-3 in 10 innings, the Brewers battered the Braves 13-1, the Giants beat the Rockies 8-4 in 10 innings, the Athletics sunk the Mariners 9-2 and the Angels routed the Astros 7-2.
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