Bryce Harper: "Everybody thinks I pander a lot, but it’s real. It’s so real, its from the bottom of my heart"

No doubt about it. The month of August was special for the Philadelphia Phillies and Bryce Harper.

After a ridiculous recovery from offseason Tommy John Surgery, Harper returned to the Phillies months ahead of schedule and played well. The only thing missing was his power at the plate.

Needless to say, that changed in dramatically in August.

This month, Harper batted .361 with 35 hits, 10 home runs, 24 RBIs and 23 runs scored in 26 games. Over his last seven games alone, Bryce is batting .462 with four home runs and 11 RBI. In 99 games this season, Harper is slashing .308/.402/.503 with a .905 OPS. He has 15 home runs and 55 RBI.

Check out a full recap of the Phillies’ August month here >>

Of course, Bryce Harper isn’t one to shy away from his love for the city of Philadelphia.

Just last week, he was talking about how he listens to 94.1 WIP Sports Talk Radio and got fired up when hearing Chuck from Mt. Airy talk during the Ike Reese and Jon Marks afternoon show.

Bryce Harper listens to Philly Sports Talk Radio (Unfortunately)

Side Note: I actually disliked Harper listening to Philly Sports Talk Radio because of the horrible content they spew out to sports fans across the Delaware Valley, but that’s beyond the point.

Bryce Harper Home Run No. 300

Moving on to yesterday’s finale against the Los Angels Angels. Harper stepped up to the plate with Kyle Schwarber on first base and crushed his Career No. 300 home run to put the Phillies up 8-7 heading into the final inning.

Obviously, you want Bryce to get the win here on the day he hit his 300th home run. That would have been the perfect ending to cap off a dominant sweep of the Angels but that’s just not how the cookie crumbled. After the game, Harper spoke with the media about his love for the city of Philadelphia.

Bryce Harper Postgame Interview

“Everybody thinks I pander a lot, but it’s real. It’s so real, its from the bottom of my heart, and I’m just thankful to put this jersey on everyday.”

Phillies Hunt for Red October

Even with the loss yesterday afternoon to the Los Angeles Angels, the Phillies are 7-3 over their last 10 games and 74-59 on the season. They posted a 17-10 record in the month of August and currently sit atop of the NL Wild Card race with a three-game advantage over the Chicago Cubs.

As for other teams in the race, no one seems to be interested in pulling away from the pack, with the Giants, D-Backs, Reds, and Miami all lurking behind the Phillies and Cubs for the third and final Wild Card spot heading into the final month of the regular season.

Schedule Note: The Phillies will begin September tomorrow in Milwaukee Brewers, who sit in first place in the AL Central. The Chicago Cubs will head to Cincinnati to face the Reds and the San Francisco Giants will be in San Diego to face off against the Padres.

Day off today. Milwaukee tomorrow. September baseball has finally arrived. Bryce and company are ready to make some noise in the postseason yet again.