Bryce Harper might not be living up to the impossibly high expectations placed upon him after signing the richest free agent contract in the history of baseball with the Philadelphia Phillies over the offseason.
On Thursday night, however, that was all forgotten after Harper slammed a massive walk-off grand slam to propel his team to a 7-5 win over the Chicago Cubs.
Harper’s unforgettable walk-off home run came with one out and the bases loaded against Cubs reliever Derek Holland. Citizens Bank Park exploded after the meteoric outfielder hit a 413 foot home run into the second deck of the right field seats.
This has been a difficult season for the Phillies, who began as the NL East favorites in the season’s first couple of months. After losing ground and the division lead to the Atlanta Braves, much frustration has been directed at Harper, who signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the team in February.
Harper has hit .253 with 25 home runs and 87 RBIs on the season, which isn’t bad, but it has fallen short and has at times frustrated the ever-passionate fans of the Phillies.
The Phillies’ Thursday night win brought them to within one game of the Cubs for the second NL Wild Card spot.
