If you somehow missed last night’s huge announcement (what were you doing?), Bryce Harper has officially won the 2021 National League Most Valuable Player award. It’s the second time in Harper’s career that he’s won the award, his first coming in 2015, and the first Phillie to win the NL MVP award since Jimmy Rollins in 2007. After Bryce won his award, Dave Dombrowski and Joe Girardi sat down to talk about Harper’s special season with the Phillies and his one-of-a-kind mindset for the game of baseball.

Dombrowski and Girardi were asked about Bryce’s work ethic and the effort that he puts in every day. Being the face of major league baseball can be tough at times, but Bryce knows what it’s like, doing it with the Nationals and the Phillies. The last 72 games of the season are what really stands out to everyone. When the team needed him the most, he stepped up and gave everything he got, He had a slugging percentage above 700 after the all-star break, and crushed every baseball that came his way. Harper finished the season at the plate .309/.429/.615, with 35 HRs, 84 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.044.

Joe Girardi talked about how Bryce battled back from his scary pitch to the face, and how he fought through the tough time in his season, dug deep, and continued to dominate the league.

He is an all-around player, played 72 days in a row when we needed him, and was the most reliable in those days. Getting hit in the elbow is one thing, but getting hit in the face is completely different, You see your life flash before your eyes. I went through it when I got hit in the face, and I saw what he was going through. He worked really hard to get through that moment. It takes time to get through, you’re a husband, you’re a father, you have so many things to do. It was incredible.- Joe Girardi

It’s crazy to sit back and think about this situation. Bryce Harper took a 97mph fastball right to the dead middle of his face, and got right up, and walked off the field. He didn’t charge the mound, and he didn’t attack the pitcher. Instead, he sent that pitcher a text the next day and made sure that HE was okay. Harper cares about everyone, and Dave Dombrowski responded to the talks about Harper being “overrated” (cowards) but also being taken for granted.

For how great Bryce is, he often gets taken for granted. You get all these good young players that come in, and people forget about him. He’s in the prime of his career, has multiple more MVPs to win, and championships to win. I never really realized until I was here how much he puts into the game each day. He’s totally all about trying to win a championship, he’s always focused on that. I didn’t know what to expect in this regard, but I saw Bryce’s leadership continue to grow, and he continued to take charge as an individual, a leader, and a teammate. -Dave Dombrowski

As we know, Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, unfortunately, fell to Corbin Burnes in the NL Cy Young race on Wednesday night, in one of the closest battles in recent memory. Wheeler finished the season 14-8 with a 2.78 ERA, with 247 strikeouts in 213.1 innings pitched. Many people, myself included, believed Wheeler should have won the award. Girardi talked about how he was disappointed that Zack didn’t win, and mentioned how important his durability is to this team.

I was disappointed for Zack. It’s really important when you’re a manager, to have pitchers that can go so deep into the games. Led the league in complete games, tied the league for innings pitched. It’s gonna make him more hungry for next year. I was hoping he would win it, I think he deserved it. 213 innings, you just don’t see that anymore, and he was so effective in those innings. -Joe Girardi

I fully believe that there is no other player in this game that loves the sport of baseball more than Bryce Harper. He shows it with his energy on the field for the Phillies night in and night out, his leadership is incredible, and he has an unmatched winning mentality. Here’s what Dave Dombrowski had to say in regards to Bryce’s mentality of the game.

(Harper winning 6 years apart) shows how great of a player he is. He may win more (MVPs), it shows how talented of an individual he was as a youngster. There are not many people that can do that, it says a lot about the individual. He doesn’t take anything for granted. He’s 29 years old and he still has that same passion to win that he did when he was 20. He hasn’t changed, he’s the same guy, and that’s pretty neat to see. -Dave Dombrowski

The Phillies got a special one, and he’s got 10 more years in a Phillies uniform. Bryce Harper is officially your 2021 National League MVP, and man does it feel good. Click the link below to enter in our giveaway for a Bryce Harper jersey and some sweet DSGNTree merch, and give the ladies of TLL a follow.

Ring the damn bell. Go Phillies baby. MV3

Mandatory Credit: AP Photos