When I woke on the morning of June 26th, I saw that the Phillies had won the night before. My joy at that news quickly turned to dismay over learning that Bryce Harper had broken his thumb.
That seemed like it might be the death knell of the Phillies’ season. At that time, the Phillies were on the edge of playoff contention, and losing the reigning NL MVP for an extended period didn’t seem like it was going to improve their chances.
To the Phillies’ credit, they didn’t fold without Harper. Even optimistic fans were saying things like, “Hopefully they can tread water until he gets back,” but the Phillies did more than “tread water,” they actually improved their playoff positioning.