Brad Cesmat
Greetings from Philadelphia
The fans don’t sit (at all) so to suggest that Zac Gallen gave up three home runs to the Phillies before the seats were warm, wouldn’t be correct. Bryce Harper celebrated his birthday by launching a moon shot, added a rbi single and scored two runs for good measure as the Phillies took the opener of this best of seven series 5-3. Give the Diamondbacks credit for continuing their “answer back” mentality. They brought the tying run at the plate in the 7th, 8th, and 9th inning.The bullpen silenced the Phillies after Gallen left. Yes, it’s a loss, but in this best of seven, turning the page to Game Two Tuesday night is proper reaction. “It’s one of the best qualities of this ballclub”, Lovullo said after the game.
Corbin Carroll started the game with a broken bat base hit and that would be the Diamondbacks offense through the first five innings. 
Geraldo Perdomo would get Arizona on the board with a two-run heomrun in the 6th off of Phillies starter Zach Wheeler.
I’ll say this about the crowd. It’s not so much how loud or how in tune they are to the game, it’s that the people who put on the show behind the scenes have great creativity. In our biz they’re known as game ops. From the moment the Philly Fanatic took the field on his ATV, until the final out, there was a vibe that would’ve been alive even if the Phillies didn’t hold batting practice against Gallen early.
Harper Heaps Praise on Carroll
I asked Harper for a thought or two on Carbin Carroll. “I love the way he plays, a tremendous ballplayer. He’s going to be a great leadoff hitter for a long time. He plays the game fast and I like that.” Harper added, “if he just continues to be himself, he’s going to be really good.”
I found Harper to be terrific in his media session. He actually says something rather than just hearing the same old stuff. 
An example? Harper was asked about the Olympics adding baseball in 2028 and if he’d play? “I’m going to be old at that point, so I don’t know if they would want me on the team. “I would hope that Major League Baseball, and I don’t know if they ever will or if they do, but they talk about growing the game that’s the way you grow with heights. I would love to put USA on my chest and represent at the highest level.”
