Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after hitting a two-run homer during the eighth inning in the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 30, 2023. /CFP
Slugger Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies hit the 300th home run of his career in the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.
The big moment was during the eighth inning when Harper faced left-handed pitcher Matt Moore. Harper blew a two-run drive for the Phillies to lead 8-7, though they lost 10-8 in the end.
It was Harper's 1,481st game and his 15th homer this season. He has hit a homer in three straight games for the second time in August and tallied 10 homers this month. Moore was the 224th pitcher he has homered against.
"There are bigger numbers in my head, but 300 is pretty good," Harper said. "I wanted to do it at home because I love being a Phillie. It's something I've dreamed about. This city ... I love them. I'm part of their family, and they're part of mine as well. There's just nothing like it," Harper said.
Harper became the 152nd player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history and the 12th active player to reach the 300 homers milestone. Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers has blasted 510 home runs, the most in today's major league.
Bryce Harper (#3) of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two-run homer during the eighth inning in the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 30, 2023. /CFP
Harper began his MLB career in the Washington Nationals in 2012 and hit the first of his 184 homers for the team on May 14, 2012. He tallied 42 home runs to lead the National League (NL) in 2015 and won the NL Most Valuable Player award that season.
In March 2019, Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Since then, he has hit 116 homers for the team, winning his second NL MVP award in 2021. Last season, he blasted a two-run drive during the eighth inning in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series (NLCS) against the San Diego Padres, helping the Phillies win the game and the series to advance to the World Series. Harper was named the NLCS MVP.
"There've been a lot of great people who have come in and out of this clubhouse who have helped me in my career," Harper said. "I value playing every day. I value going out there and working and grinding each day. I love this game. I love playing with 'Phillies' across my chest, and I love playing this game every day. It's all I want to do."
The Phillies are second in the NL East and lead the NL wildcard standings with a 74-59 record as of Wednesday.