Bryce Harper's first walk-off hit for Phillies beats Dodgers

July 17 (UPI) -- Bryce Harper smacked his first walk-off hit in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform, in a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two-run double came in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Phillies' 9-8 win Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

"It was a huge moment for Bryce, and you could see it coming off the field after everybody was celebrating on the field, how important that was to him," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told reporters. "It meant a lot to him. He was clearly emotional, and I understand there had been a lot of buildup that led to that moment. It was quite a release for him."

Harper also hit a 458-foot homer in the victory. He was 2-for-3 on the day with five RBIs, two walks and a run scored for the Phillies.

But his biggest moment came in the final frame. The Phillies entered the bottom of the inning training 8-6. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen forced Adam Haseley to ground out in the first at-bat. Andrew Knapp followed with a double. Cesar Hernandez pushed Knapp to third base with a single, before Scott Kingery stepped into the box.

The Phillies shortstop hit a fly ball for an RBI single, cutting the Philadelphia deficit to one run. Harper stepped in to face Jansen in the next at-bat. The Phillies star saw just one pitch -- a 93 mph cutter -- and sent it on a line drive to center field. A.J. Pollock failed to field the liner, allowing the ball to go to the wall. Hernandez and Kingery raced around the bases to give the Phillies a dramatic victory.

All of the runs for both teams prior to the bottom of the ninth inning came via home run. Kingery put the Phillies up 1-0 with a first inning bomb. Brad Miller and Harper also homered for the Phillies. Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Matt Beaty and Pollock all homered for the Dodgers.

The Phillies host the Dodgers at 7:05 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Philadelphia.