Harper’s HR powers Phillies past Padres, into World Series

On the mound, Bryce Harper halted the Phillies’ postseason celebration and pointed his team to where the real celebration for the National League champions was about to commence.

“C’mon, let’s go inside! Let’s go!” he ordered.

Harper then moved toward the dugout and lifted his arms in celebration as Phillies supporters chanted “MV3! MV3!” in the background. The Phillies rushed into the clubhouse for the awaiting Broad Street Bubbly.

Harper made the picture possible by rising to the occasion Philadelphia required of him when he signed the largest free-agent contract in baseball history. Harper has made hitting a baseball appear effortless in the postseason, and when the NL pennant was on the line, he delivered with the defining moment of his four-year Philadelphia career.

Harper hit his sixth playoff home ball, a two-run shot in the eighth inning that sent Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy, and the $330 million slugger led the Phillies to a 4-3 victory against the San Diego Padres on Sunday and into the World Series for the first time since 2009.

One swing. One shot from opposite field. From the minute he stepped up to the plate in the eighth inning, with the Phillies and their supporters urging Bryce to deliver in the clutch just one more time, a game-winning home run looked almost certain.