Bryce Harper knows things are different now.

The Phillies are no longer the Cinderella story that sailed to the NL pennant with late momentum and flawless spirit, nor the team that realized they could do it all again but stumbled at the worst possible moment Arizona came one game short.

They are now the NL East champions, one of the best clubs in Major League Baseball and, on paper, perhaps the most complete team in the entire postseason.

They’re good, good enough to win the World Series, and everyone knows it.

But Harper and the Phillies know the postseason is anything but predictable. They earned everything they needed to have the best possible chance – the division title, the bye from the Wild Card round and a few valuable extra days of rest to get healthy. But anything can happen.

The Phillies are no longer the underdogs. It’s the New York Mets, the bitter NL East rival they’ll face in the NLDS starting Game 1 today, and they’re playing with house money, which is dangerous.

But before the game, Harper said the Phillies knew what they were about and how good they were, and perhaps more importantly, that the club’s mentality hadn’t changed since first entering the postseason in 2022.

“Getting to this point in the season, every team kind of has the same goal, so you just have to go out there and play your game,” Harper said in the quiet of a Citizens Bank Park that won’t amount to much longer. “I think that’s the cool thing or the beauty of our game, and I can say that it fits the NHL really well, that any team can do it, any team can win.

“You get to this point in the season and it shows. So I think just playing our game, understanding who we are as a team, our identity, the courage, the determination. I don’t think that underdog mentality we’re talking about is ever going to change for us. I I think we’ll go in there and just play our game. We’re going to play hard, play fast, play right.”

And play to attract one of baseball’s most electric crowds early. That will be one of the keys to it This hampered the Mets’ momentum carried over from the Wild Card round early on.

Nick Tricome/PhillyVoice

Bryce Harper during a press conference before the Phillies take on the Mets for Game 1 of the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park.

Ace Zack Wheeler will take the mound for the Phils to start their postseason run, while the Mets send to the mound right-hander Kodai Senga, who has pitched just once in an injury-plagued 2024, going for just 5.1 overall innings back in July.

Still, the Phillies have to be on their guard because Harper admits that Sengai has pitch selection, particularly his signature “Ghost Fork,” that can surprise their lineup.

The Phils need to pounce on him, and as manager Rob Thomson said Friday, once they get a lead against the Mets, they keep their foot on the gas.

“Put the hammer down and put them away,” Thomson said.

Things are different now. Harper and the Phillies are no longer underdogs, but two years later they’re still chasing the same thing: a World Series title and a liberating parade on Broad Street.

The third round will soon begin with one Right behind them, Red October is moving in and out of the ballpark all over South Philly to try and make a breakthrough.

“We have an incredible audience behind us, and I think we’re all excited to see that today,” Harper said. “There’s nothing better than coming to this place and playing, and I think when you see it in the postseason, it’s just a different animal. It’s a lot of fun, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Things are different now. But the mission is still the same.

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