Bryce Harper Organized Players-Only Meeting After Phillies' Collapse vs. Mets

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper organized a players-only meeting following Thursday's meltdown in an 8-7 loss to the New York Mets.

Third baseman Alec Bohm said Harper's message was that the defeat "doesn't define us."

"Obviously, nobody wants that to happen," Bohm said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey. "This sucks right now, but we can’t let it affect tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. We play 162 games. If we waste a couple of games because we’re feeling bad about how Thursday went, that’s not a good recipe for success."

Philly had a 7-1 lead going into the ninth inning with James Norwood entering the game to pitch. Norwood allowed a two-run home run to Francisco Lindor and was pulled with runners on the corners. Corey Knebel came on and surrendered five more runs—two of which were charged to Norwood.

Starling Marte put the Mets ahead with an RBI double.

Needless to say, it was a collapse of epic proportions.

The outcome added to what has been a disappointing start from the Phillies. At 11-15, they're seven games back of the first-place Mets in the National League East and five games off the final wild-card spot in the NL. FanGraphs only gives Philadelphia a 33.9 percent chance of reaching the postseason.

Thanks to Mother Nature, the players have been left to stew over throwing away a win Thursday. Friday and Saturday's games were postponed, with a doubleheader scheduled for Sunday.

Maintaining perspective is always important for teams at this stage of the season. Although they aren't were they want to be, there's still plenty of time for the Phillies to right the ship.

"Harper said stuff like this is going to happen, and it’s true," Norwood said of the meeting. "It’s about how we take it and how we move forward. Just use it to build and not go backwards."

Sunday's doubleheader presents the perfect opportunity to lift the mood in the clubhouse.