Bryce Harper inside-the-park home run lifts Phillies over Giants in NL Wild Card matchup

What a way to start a big series.

Bryce Harper hit an inside-the-park home run to help the Philadelphia Phillies to a 10-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Monday night in a matchup of teams leading the National League wild-card race.

Harper electrified the crowd of 36,274 in the fifth inning. His drive off Sean Hjelle caromed hard off the high wall in left-center. When center fielder Wade Meckler finally chased down the ball in right-center, he twice failed to pick it up before throwing it toward home. It likely would’ve taken a perfect toss and relay to nab the speedy Harper.

“I saw J-Roll (Jimmy Rollins) do it, I saw (Chase) Utley do it a couple of times,” Harper said. “To be part of that is pretty cool.”

It was Harper’s 10th homer of the season and 295th career shot for the two-time NL MVP, whose power stroke has been returning the last two months after offseason Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He also hit an inside-the-park homer in Philadelphia on July 27, 2021.

“Any time you hit a ball out that way you run as hard as you can just in case,” he said. “Pretty cool.”

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Bryce Harper inside-the-park home run

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Bryce Harper inside-the-park home run lifts Phillies over Giants