MLB playoffs 2023: What we've learned from first two rounds - ESPN

In case anyone has managed to miss it over the past two postseasons, Bryce Harper delivered the message with a two-homer game and a double stare-down of Orlando Arcia: Playoff Bryce is a different beast from regular-season Bryce. No moment seems too big for the Phillies' slugger and, Game 2 baserunning gaffe and all, he continues to further his growing reputation as this generation's Mr. October.

Reggie Jackson, the original, hit 18 home runs in 77 career postseason games. Harper, with three so far in 2023, has 14 in 42 postseason games. Indeed, out of 192 players with at least 150 career postseason plate appearances, Harper ranks fifth in OPS at 1.017, putting him near the top of a leaderboard featuring names like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, George Brett and Carlos Beltran.

«When the lights are the brightest, he shows up,» Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after Harper and the Phillies knocked around the Braves in Game 3 before eliminating Atlanta the next night. «He's a big-game player. He really is.»

Across the postseason bracket, big-game players have stepped up. Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez put up American League Division Series numbers that matched Harper's onslaught, going 7-for-16 with four home runs in four games against the Twins. His early production and imposing size have had fans wondering one thing every time the 6-foot-5, 225-pound slugger steps to the plate: Why would anyone choose to pitch to this guy?

When Alvarez steps to the plate, «It's all eyes on him,» teammate Chas McCormick said before Game 4. «You can tell everybody is kind of at the top of the dugout. He's one of the best hitters on the planet. It's pretty incredible to watch him hit, especially right now. I've seen him do it before.» Like