The Phillies won their third game in a row and for the fifth time in seven games. At 52-26, they are back to 26 games over .500, matching their high-water mark. They face the 36-42 Tigers twice more before coming home for a four-game series against the league-worst Miami Marlins (27-50).
And Harper is at the center of it all, a modern version of Reggie Jackson’s straw that stirred the drink. He’s batting .303/.401/.577 for a .978 OPS that’s third-best in the NL behind Shohei Ohtani and Marcell Ozuna. He ranks third with 19 homers and fourth with 56 RBIs among NL hitters.
“I feel good,” Harper said. “Just trying to be normal. Just trying to stay normal and stay as good as possible.”
This is Harper’s normal. It’s no wonder he leads all NL players in All-Star votes.
Never mind that the Phillies were 600 miles from home. Or that they were playing in an American League ballpark. The campaign was in full swing in the sixth inning Monday night, and the slogan was clear.
“M-V-P! M-V-P!”
It seemed to rise out of the right-field seats at Comerica Park. Maybe it came from the bleachers. No matter the origin, it serenaded Bryce Harper as he circled the bases after banging a three-run home run, the exclamation point on a five-RBI performance in the Phillies’ series-opening 8-1 rout of the Detroit Tigers.
“When he gets hot, he gets rolling for a while,” said Aaron Nola, the beneficiary of the Harper Show en route to seven solid innings and his ninth victory. “We’re definitely grateful to play on the same team as him and get to watch what he does every single day.”
So, the chant was loud and in sync and entirely fitting. Because Harper has been the best player on the National League’s best team through nearly half the season.
And he did it all against the Tigers.
Harper doubled to center field to push the Phillies to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Tigers starter Casey Mize. He led off the fifth with a double to left. He broke open the game with the three-run homer on a hanging changeup from lefty reliever Tyler Holton.
Oh, and he even helped the Phillies turn a triple play, the 34th in team history.
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the sixth inning of a baseball game Monday, June 24, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)ASSOCIATED PRESS
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