Harrison Bader shares six-word message on Phillies fans after Mets sweep

Matt Sullivan

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Harrison Bader shares six-word message on Phillies fans after Mets sweep image

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies made two moves at the MLB trade deadline. Their first move was to acquire Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins, and the next day, they negotiated another trade with the Twins for Harrison Bader.

Both Duran and Bader have been among the best trade deadline pickups in baseball. Duran is a dominant closer, while Bader has been an elite everyday center fielder for the Phillies.

After the Phillies swept the New York Mets in a four-game series, Bader was asked what it's been like to play for the Phillies this season. Tim Kelly of On Pattison shared the comments from Bader, who expressed his appreciation for Phillies fans.

Harrison Bader has high praise for the Phillies fanbase

Bader shared a simple message with reporters after his incredible series against the Mets. When asked what it's been like to play for the Phillies, Bader said, "It's just a great baseball city."

The Phillies, after their dominant series against the Mets, now sit 11 games up in the NL East, the largest lead in any division in baseball. The magic number to win the NL East is down to five, and the Phillies are only two games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in baseball.

Bader has been a huge reason why the team has succeeded since the trade deadline. He's played in 35 games since coming to Philadelphia, and in that time, he's been one of the best players in baseball.

Across 115 at-bats, Bader has 39 hits, 21 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, nine walks, and 35 strikeouts with a .339 batting average and a .942 OPS.

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What's even more encouraging is his production against the Mets. In the four-game series in Philadelphia, Bader played in all four games, getting 19 at-bats, and hit .526 with a 1.339 OPS.

He had 10 hits, four runs scored, two doubles, one home run, and three RBIs in the four-game sweep of the Mets. He's 31 years old and playing the best baseball of his career. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and the Phillies now have a tough decision of whether to keep him or not.

But for now, Bader is enjoying his time in Philadelphia and playing for a raucous home crowd. The Phillies are one of the best teams in baseball, and they wouldn't be there without Bader.

His high praise for Phillies fans is far from abnormal, but for a player who's only been in Philadelphia for a short period of time, he's already contributed so many incredible moments for the team, with, hopefully, many more to come.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.