Slump slammed! Bryce Harper's grand slam is third HR of game after hitless start to 2024

PHILADELPHIA − Bryce Harper broke out of his season-starting 0-for-11 slump in a big way.

The Philadelphia Phillies slugger hit three home runs, including a grand slam in the seventh inning, powering the Phillies to a 9-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

The home runs, beginning with solo shots in the first and fourth innings, were Harper's first hits of the 2024 season. The 6 RBIs were a career high. For Harper, it was his seventh career grand slam, and his second career three-homer game. He also hit three homers on May 6, 2015 while he was with the Washington Nationals.

But this one was certainly memorable for Harper, mainly because it came on a cold and misty night, when it appeared like the game wasn't going to be played.

"Any time you go out there playing in that cold weather, it’s not very fun," Harper said. "Getting the first (home run) out of the way, and getting those runs on the board was really big for us."

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That one was a 420-foot shot to center field off Reds starter Graham Ashcraft. Harper's second homer was a line drive down the right field line, also off Ashcraft. That gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

In Harper's third at-bat, in the sixth, Harper came up with Trea Turner on first base. Turner went to second on a wild pitch just before Harper hit a line drive to center that would have fallen for extra bases. But Reds center fielder Will Benson made a diving catch.

Harper was visibly upset after Benson's catch. And that says as much about why Harper is such a prolific hitter as anything else.

"You have two (homers), you want three," Harper said. "You have three, you want four. That’s the mindset. Obviously, when you go out there and play the game, I’m not satisfied with one or two or three or whatever. I want to go out there and I expect myself to do that every night … I just want to keep it going."

Harper did. He got another turn in the seventh inning against lefty Brent Suter. This time the bases were loaded, and Harper didn't miss. He hit a grand slam over the right-center field fence on a 3-and-2 pitch, a shot measured at 422 feet.

That gave the Phillies an 8-1 lead. And the fans who braved the cold and rain gave Harper a standing ovation and yelled "MVP!" chants.

By then, the hitless streak to start the season was long forgotten as Harper raised his average from .000 to .200. And in one night, he took over the team lead in both homers (3) and RBIs (6) as the Phillies improved to 2-3.

"It’s just a matter of time for him," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. "He’s a great hitter. I don’t really get concerned with Bryce. That’s what the great players do. They have big nights like that. We needed it. That grand slam, everyone could exhale a little bit. That was huge."

No wonder Thomson had this response when asked if he's glad the Phillies got the game in.

"Now I am," he said with a laugh.

So was Harper.

Follow Martin Frank on X @Mfranknfl.