Bryce Harper flexes ‘dad strength’ again with home run in return from paternity list to lead win over Reds

CINCINNATI — After a few days on the paternity list, Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies clubhouse on Wednesday night. He was activated ahead of Thursday’s game against the Reds, and didn’t waste any at-bats. With two outs in the top of the third inning and a runner on second, Harper launched a two-run home run 384 feet to right-center field.

Great American Ball Park was not full, so it was easy to hear fan commentary. Moments before the home run, the broadcast picked up a few Reds fans chanting “Overrated” and “Big Whiffer” at Harper.

When he crossed home plate, Harper looked at the crowd, shrugged, and said, “What happened?”

“I love that, man. There’s something that turns on in my head or something,” Harper said postgame on the NBC 10 broadcast. “[Alec Bohm] was laughing because he goes, right when he said it, ‘Harper’s going deep.’

“That’s why I love playing on the road so much, man. I love those moments when fans are in it and we’re going back and forth. It’s always fun.”

Harper’s home run gave the Phillies a 4-0 lead en route to a 5-0 win over the Reds and extended his hitting streak to seven games. The Phillies first baseman finished his day 2-for-3 with a walk and is now hitting .417/.500/.708 over his last 24 at-bats.

Coincidentally, he did nearly the same thing in 2019, hitting a solo home run the day he returned after the birth of his first child, Krew.

“Wild, isn’t it?” manager Rob Thomson said. “Daddy strength.”

Added Zack Wheeler: “I think dad strength is a real thing, so, I don’t know.”

Harper said his wife, Kayla, and their newborn girl are doing well. He kept the baseball from his home run.

“I got Krew’s back, and now I’ve got hers back,” he said. “Krew’s baseball is probably in my basement in Jersey.”

For whatever reason, the Phillies lineup hasn’t always shown up on days in which Wheeler is pitching, but on Thursday, it did. The offense combined for five runs on 11 hits. Trea Turner went 3-for-5, Bryson Stott went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Nick Castellanos recorded his first hit since Monday.

Wheeler continued his run of dominance. He allowed just one hit over six innings, and has given up just two hits over his last two outings. Wheeler became the second Phillies pitcher in the Modern Era to allow one hit over at least six innings in back-to-back starts, joining Marvin Freeman, who did it in 1986.

He allowed an uncharacteristically-high four walks but was able to wiggle his way out of trouble. After throwing just 19 pitches in his first two innings, Wheeler needed 34 to get through the third, allowing two walks and a single to load the bases with two outs. Spencer Steer lined a ball to right field that almost went out, but Castellanos caught it at the wall to end the inning.

“That was big,” Wheeler said. “He does a great job out there. I have confidence in him. He did a nice job getting back on that ball. I was scared off the bat, and then watching him go back, but he knew where he was on the field and made a great catch. Saved me.”

That was the extent of Wheeler’s trouble. He retired his next six batters, allowed two more walks in the sixth, but induced a double play and a pop out to prevent any runs from scoring.

He finished his day at eight strikeouts and now has 46 for the season, joining six other Phillies pitchers in the Modern Era who’ve reached that mark through their first six games.

» READ MORE: A sizable shortstop, Phillies prospect Aidan Miller shows the work ethic of a ’throwback’

“Two hits, but also a bunch of walks, which is frustrating,” Wheeler said. “But, you know, it is what it is. It’ll get cleaned up. The results are good, just need to fix the deep counts and walks. But the results have been good.”

He added: “The ball is flying a lot better, so it’s missing a little more bat. Off-speed is working a little better. It’s kind of hit-or-miss. It’s frustrating, but it’s also good. So, you just try to take both — fix what you need to, but take that positiveness out of the start that you just did.”

Orion Kerkering entered in relief of Wheeler, pitching 1⅔ innings, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman finished it off, pitching 1⅓ innings, allowing one hit with three strikeouts.