Bryce Harper on Braves Series: 'I Feel Like I Let the City of Philadelphia Down'

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper put together a stellar 2021 season, but his performance against the Atlanta Braves this week will likely haunt him throughout the offseason.

Harper went 0-for-11 in three games as the Phillies were swept by the National League East champs and eliminated from postseason contention.

"After those three games, I feel like I let my team down. I feel like I let the city of Philadelphia down," Harper said Friday night after Philadelphia's win over the Miami Marlins.

In his third season with the Phillies, Harper led the team in nearly every offensive category. He has a .308 batting average with 35 home runs, 84 RBI and 149 hits and compiled a 1.043 OPS.

In the two months prior to this week's series against the Braves, Harper carried Philadelphia. From July 23 through Sept. 26, he batted .354 with 19 home runs and 23 doubles in 262 plate appearances.

That all came to a halt against Atlanta, but Harper wasn't the only player who struggled. Philadelphia hit .138 as a team and scored six runs in three games.

"We ran into some really good pitching. And sometimes that happens," Harper added.

"As I sit here now and reflect on that series, you want to put that behind you as quickly as possible."

With Friday's win over the Marlins, the Phillies guaranteed their first winning season since 2011. But Harper isn't satisfied, and he doesn't want his team to be satisfied either.

"As we sit here, we have our first winning season in a long time. And that's great for the Phillies," he said. "But I don't want it to be like that. I don't want to just sit here and think to ourselves: 'Hey, this is great. We have a winning season.'"

Harper also said he thinks there's much to be done this offseason if Philadelphia hopes to improve.

"We need to be better," Harper said. "As a team, as an organization ... looking ourselves in the mirror, wondering as a team, as an organization, what do we want the Phillies to be? How do we want to build it? How good can we be next year?"