CLEVELAND (AP) — Bryce Harper enjoyed feeling the soft infield dirt under his cleats.
The floor of the camera well wasn’t as welcomed.
Harper made a stunning catch in foul territory in his first career start at first base, but the Cleveland Guardians ended Philadelphia’s interleague winning streak at 12 games by edging the Phillies 6-5 on Friday night.
The Phillies moved Harper, a two-time MVP and normally an outfielder, to first base ahead of the trade deadline to see if he could handle the position. Harper wasted no time in showing he’s more than capable.
“He looked pretty comfortable,” Phillies manager Rob Thomsen said. “He didn’t look out of place.”
In the third inning, Harper ran into foul territory and snagged Amed Rosario’s foul pop before tumbling into an empty photographer’s pit — a moment Thomsen joked made his heart skip and likely drew gasps from Phillies fans everywhere.
“I feel fine,” said Harper, who had a red welt on his lower back. “I thought there was more netting there than there was. I kind of reached and saw the ball and thought I was going to land in that netting, but landed in that camera well or whatever it was.”
José Ramírez had four hits and David Fry drove in two runs for Cleveland, which improved to 28-7 when scoring at least five runs.
J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer and Bryson Stott had a solo shot for Philadelphia, which squandered some early scoring chances and lost for just the fourth time in its last 19 road games.
The Phillies also finished one win shy of matching the record of 13 consecutive interleague wins shared by the New York Yankees (2003-04), Tampa Bay (2004), Miami (2013-14) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017).
But Philadelphia got its long-awaited look at Harper as an infielder, and he made quite a first impression.
Harper, who recovered more quickly than expected from Tommy John surgery last year, spent the past few weeks preparing for the move to first by working with infield coach Bobby Dickerson. And as if the baseball gods wanted to see if he was ready, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan led off the first by hitting a bouncer toward the All-Star slugger.
Harper fielded it cleanly and flipped the ball to pitcher Ranger Suárez covering for the out.
“It was good to be back out there,” Harper said. “I missed playing in the field. It’s been a year and half so it was nice to be in the flow of the game. I felt good and felt prepared. It was good.”
After stranding 10 runners and leaving the bases loaded three times through six innings, the Phillies used the long ball to get back into it.
Harper walked leading off the seventh and Realmuto followed with a 413-foot shot into the left-field bleachers off reliever Nick Sandlin. Three pitches later, Stott connected for his ninth homer, a towering shot to right to make it 6-5.
Trevor Stephan (5-4) got the Guardians through the seventh and eighth, and closer Emmanuel Clase worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 26th save in 33 tries.
Josh Bell hit a run-scoring double with two outs off Ranger Suárez (2-5) and Fry followed with an RBI single to give the Guardians a 2-0 lead in the first.
The Phillies loaded the bases with two outs in the second against Guardians rookie Gavin Williams, but the right-hander escaped by popping up Jake Cave, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Trea Turner tripled with one out in Philadelphia’s third and scored on a groundout by Nick Castellanos to cut Cleveland’s lead to 2-1.
In the fourth, Guardians center fielder Myles Straw helped Williams by throwing out Alec Bohm at the plate. Philadelphia again loaded the bases with two down, but Turner lined out to Straw to end the threat.
PACK ‘EM IN
Cleveland’s third sellout this season pushed the Guardians over the one million mark in home attendance.
The team reached one million in its 46th date at Progressive Field after getting there in its 59th home game last season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: RHP Seranthony Dominguez (oblique strain) pitched one inning (17 pitches) for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Toledo as he moves closer to a return. He’s expected to pitch again Sunday. … LHP José Alvarado (elbow inflammation) played catch from 75 feet for the second straight day without any issues. Manager Rob Thomsen said Alvarado will follow a similar program as Dominguez and throw bullpen sessions before being sent on a rehab assignment.
Guardians: RHP Cal Quantrill (shoulder inflammation), one of three Cleveland starters on the injured list, will throw a bullpen session Saturday as he continues to slowly work his way back. The Guardians are exercising more caution with Quantrill, who was on the IL earlier this season with the same ailment.
UP NEXT
Guardians RHP Tanner Bibee (5-2, 3.32 ERA) starts against Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (7-4, 4.04), making his second career appearance vs. Cleveland.
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