NLDS Game 3 will bring Bryce Harper face-to-face with an old nemesis

Bryce Harper in the postseason is an unstoppable force. For his career, the two-time MVP is slashing a ridiculous .280/.395/.629 in October, good for a 1.024 OPS — the third-highest ever for a player with at least 150 playoff plate appearances, behind only some guys named Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. And amazingly enough, those numbers have gotten even better since he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he's put up a 1.175 OPS and hit one of the most iconic home runs in franchise history. Harper is doing it again so far in Philly's NLDS against the New York Mets, with two hits and four walks across nine plate appearances and a clutch home run that helped key a Phillies comeback in Game 2.

Now, though, we're going to find out what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Because the scene is set to shift to Citi Field for Game 3, and for all of Harper's heroics, hitting Queens has been his Kryptonite.

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Bryce Harper struggles mightily at Citi Field

Harper hit well enough at Citi Field when he was with the Washington Nationals. Since joining the Phillies, however, it's been a house of horrors: He's hitting just .191/.304/.287 at the Mets' home park, with two homers and 11 RBI in 135 plate appearances. (This season, he went a dismal 3-for-23 with 10 strikeouts.)

For the Phils to advance to a third straight NLCS, they're going to need Harper to be the engine of their offense. But there's going to be an electric crowd waiting for him on Tuesday night, one that's going to relish every opportunity to get in Harper's face.

135 plate appearances is hardly a significant sample size. Harper is an awesome hitter in just about every other ballpark, and there's no reason he can't be one at Citi Field, too. But he better figure out how soon, because his team's fortunes are counting on it.