NLDS Game 2 was one you flush and move on from, but it was interesting to see the back angle of the game-ending double play, in which Bryce Harper was thrown out at first base:

The little stumble there probably did him in. Maybe there was a chance of getting back had that not happened, though if he holds at second he’s in better position to either score on the live ball or haul ass back to first in case of a catch.

It is what it is, because this is Bryce Harper. He’s aggressive to a fault. We can’t celebrate it when it works and criticize it when it doesn’t. Isn’t that hypocritical? Maybe myopic is the better word. If we’re gonna heap praise and share a laugh when he blows through Dusty Wathan’s stop sign like a wet paper bag, then we can’t act surprised when he gambles on a deep fly that just so happens to segue into a pair of brilliant individual defensive plays.

It’s the risk vs. reward of playing hero ball, so we have to take it or leave it with Bryce’s base running. Do we expect him to change now? I don’t, but to entertain the hypothetical, we’re essentially looking at a Venn Diagram that has “aggressive” written in one circle and “prudent” written in the other. What word links the two of them together? I like “assertive.” Brilliant word, honestly. If aggression has a tinge of recklessness in its definition, then assertiveness probably adds control to the mix. It’s the intersection of carelessness and caution. If an aggressive driver is swerving through lanes, trying to get from point A to B as fast as possible, then an assertive driver is mitigating risk while at the same time showing confidence at the wheel. For example, if four people all come to an intersection at the same time, we want Bryce Harper to look at the other three and make the first move. He’s more likely to just plow through the intersection instead, and if there aren’t any cops around, he’s winning the race. But last night Michael Harris and Austin Riley were the 5-0.

I have no idea if that paragraph makes sense, but go Phils.