Phillies' Bryce Harper Says He's '1 of the Best in Baseball' After Slump-Breaking Game
Bryce Harper has struggled as of late, but he returned to form on Wednesday as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the San Francisco Giants 13-0.
He went 4-for-6 with a home run, three runs and a career-best four extra-base hits. After the slump-busting performance, Harper was feeling himself.
"I'm really good. I mean, I really am," Harper told reporters. "I don't want to put that out there and everybody go, 'What's he talking about?' But I know when I'm going well, I'm one of the best in baseball. I'm healthy. I'm strong. I feel great."
Harper missed most of June because of a wrist injury and came into Wednesday's game having gone 1-for-14 in his last four games.
In his first plate appearance on Wednesday, he went down 0-2 in the count against Justin Verlander before striking out in four pitches. In his next at-bat, he went ahead 3-1 against Verlander before homering to left field.
Harper said getting ahead in the count is a difference-maker for him.
"I hate talking about individual [achievements] and all that kind of stuff," Harper said. "But if I get into good counts and don't swing at crap away or in or anything else, then I'll be right where I need to be."
Harper's Phillies are 54-39, sitting in first place in the NL East. If their star can leverage the momentum from Wednesday's performance into a hot streak, Philadelphia could be on its way to an even better second half of the season.
