Phillies lose NLDS Game 3 2024

He had his latest on Sunday, when he blasted a two-run home run off the ivy-covered batter’s eye at Citizens Bank Park. It sparked a slumbering Phillies offense, leading to a dramatic walk-off victory over the Mets in Game 2 of the NL Division Series.

Harper had another memory-making opportunity in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 7-2 loss to New York in Game 3 at Citi Field. But the big hit never came, and the Phillies fell apart shortly thereafter, putting their season of World Series championship expectations on the brink.

The Phillies must win Game 4 on Wednesday to keep their season alive.

The Mets had a 2-0 lead in the sixth, when New York left-hander Sean Manaea walked Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. Schwarber fell behind 0-2, but he walked on the next four pitches. Turner saw four noncompetitive pitches in a five-pitch at-bat to put runners on first and second with nobody out.

Harper strode to home plate.

He got booed, which is nothing new. He is always booed in New York. He entered Game 3 with a career 1.024 OPS in the postseason. It was the third-highest OPS in postseason history (minimum 150 plate appearances) behind Babe Ruth (1.211 OPS) and Lou Gehrig (1.208). But Harper had not hit the ball well at Citi Field since he joined the Phillies in 2019, posting a .591 OPS in Queens.

Maybe it was time to change that.

But Harper whiffed at a first-pitch changeup on the inner half of the plate for strike one. He swung and missed at a sweeper that just touched the outside corner of the plate for strike two.

He swung and missed at another sweeper well off the plate for strike three.

Nick Castellanos lined into an inning-ending double play on an 0-2 changeup to end the inning. Everything unraveled from there. Aaron Nola loaded the bases to start the sixth. Orion Kerkering entered the game, and he got Jose Iglesias to hit a hard ground ball to second baseman Edmundo Sosa.

It set up a potential 4-2-3 double play with the infield playing in, but Sosa bobbled the ball. He got the forceout at home, but the bases remained loaded. Starling Marte hit a two-out single to score two runs to make it 4-0.

Manaea pitched a clean seventh inning on just seven pitches. José Alvarado, who had not pitched since Sept. 29, loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning. José Ruiz took over and allowed a two-run single to Iglesias to make it 6-0.

The Phillies scored twice in the eighth, but it was too late.