WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper swung at the 91 mph pitch in the bottom of the 13th inning and could tell right away the ball would end up over the fence.
“I knew it was gone. I mean, I felt it,” the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year said. “I haven’t felt like that in a while. I haven’t got extension on a ball in a pretty long time.”
Harper’s fourth homer of an injury-interrupted, trying season was a game-ending, two-run shot to the opposite field off righty reliever Carlos Torres, lifting Washington past the New York Mets 5-3 Thursday and giving the Nationals a season-high 4 1/2-game lead in the NL East.
Harper was hitting .250 with 14 RBIs in 2014 entering Thursday, with zero homers since July 18.
“Hopefully he rides that for the next couple months and (we) sail off into the sunset,” said Ian Desmond, who walked ahead of Harper’s homer.
Desmond drove in Washington’s first three runs with a two-run homer in the second inning, his 18th, and an RBI single in the fourth — both off Mets starter Jacob deGrom.
So can one swing change things for Harper?
“In my mind, I’m hoping so. Definitely,” he said.
Harper missed 57 games because of a torn ligament in his left thumb, returning June 30. He immediately caused a stir that day by publicly offering suggestions for how manager Matt Williams should arrange his lineup.
This week, the morning after Harper went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in a loss to the Mets on Tuesday, Williams was asked on radio station 106.7 The Fan whether it would be a bad idea to send Harper to the minors. When a reporter followed up during Williams’ pregame news conference Wednesday, the manager vented, saying: “The minute you think you can read my freaking mind, you’re sorely mistaken.”
At the end of his postgame session with reporters Thursday, Williams offered an unprompted mea culpa, saying: “I didn’t sleep much last night. So I just wanted to apologize to members of the press for my actions yesterday.”
Photo via H.Darr Beiser/USA TODAY Sports Images
