Luis Severino received a warning.
In the sixth inning, as Bryce Harper approached the bat with a runner on first base, pitching coach Jeremy Hefner approached the mound.
Hefner told Severino to “be careful.” That means not giving him anything to throw at him.
Severino survived in the corner and reached two strikes on just four pitches from the plate, making him the third-fastest pitch of the 2024 season. A 99 mph fastball landed in the center of the plate, and Harper set it on track for a double. Run a home run.
After two innings in Philadelphia on Sunday, Harper had one out and the bases emptied.
Edwin Diaz threw four fastballs more carefully than Severino.
Harper reached third base on Nick Castellanos' single, then reversed and scored on Bryson Stott's go-ahead triple.
“Instead of attacking him, I was lazy and going at him,” Diaz said of Harper's at-bat with regret. “I tried pitching. [for] Please follow him. ”
Whether the Mets challenged or avoided the Phillies' best hitters, Harper found a way to do damage through two difficult NLDS games.
It's no surprise that one of the best players in the game, and one who boasts a career OPS of 1.024 in the postseason as of October, has proven difficult to handle, but the Mets could probably settle for Harper if they want. will need to find a way to do so. Reach NLCS.
In Games 1 and 2 against Severino, Diaz, Kodai Chiga, David Peterson, and Phil Mayton, Harper came to bat in the 9th inning and reached the 6th inning.
He smashed a home run, hit a double and walked four times.
At times, the Mets obviously threw around him. At times, they wanted Harper to break out on his own (chasing three pitches out of the strike zone in a fight with Peterson). Sometimes they challenged him and lost.
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Some superstars, like the Yankees' Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, are on-base machines because of their disciplined hitting eyes.
Harper is different, being a free swinger who expands the strike zone and sometimes drives the ball.
“He can hit anything with power anywhere,” Mets left-hander Danny Young said. “He always has a plan and is obviously very talented and one of the best players in the game. To be honest, you're just trying your best to execute and manage him. is.”
Young has faced Harper four times, three times this season, and held Harper to one hit in four at-bats with three strikeouts.
It's possible that a left-handed hitter like Harpers or Kyle Schwarber could force Young into a postseason debut.
The southpaw was strong for the Mets for most of the season, holding opposing left-handed pitchers to a .527 OPS, but he faltered in September and fell down the bullpen depth chart.
Young, and perhaps David Peterson, who has pitched twice as a reliever at the bigger spot, are the only southpaw options in the Mets' bullpen.
Whoever takes the mound will face unique challenges. It's an old-school slugger who not only chases misses, but hunts anything within reach of his bat.
“He's Bryce Harper,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday during practice at Citi Field. “He's a really good player, a really good hitter. He's always ready for the first pitch. He's going to attack.
“If you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay — and it’s not just in the zone, and even if you shut him out in the zone, he’s still going to find a way to put the barrel down. ” [on the ball]”
