How Bryce Harper’s mantra is setting tone for Phillies: ‘We are not losing this game’

Bryce Harper's mantra is setting tone for the Philadelphia Phillies. They are not losing this game. In the ninth inning, when the St. Louis Cardinals brought the winning run to the plate, Harper walked up and down the dugout and said, "We are going to win this." Harper has been struggling recently at the bat. He has a new rhythm since he returned from a two-month absence with a broken left thumb. The Phillies advanced to a divisional series against the defending World Series champion Braves beginning Tuesday night in Atlanta. Harper went home after the first round of the playoffs in four previous seasons with the Washington Nationals.

Phillies beat the Astros and the Cardinals to advance to the divisional round. They are playing against the Braves. Harper is leading the team in the clubhouse. He is playing to a crowd. The team is excited to get back home. The game is on Friday night. It will be the first time the park has hosted a postseason game since October 7, 2011. Bryce Harper will wear his Phanatic spikes. His teammates are excited. Thomson is encouraging a countdown to World Series.