Two Bryce Harper murals have gone up in Philly ahead of the World Series

From the takeover of the “Dancing on My Own” remix to McGillin’s serving red beer for the first time in its 162-year history, Phillies fever has taken over. Of course, it’s only natural that the Phillies love has spilled into the street-art scene, with Bryce Harper at the center of attention.

Joey Dougherty, who splits his time at La Salle University studying business administration, working at Dougherty Electric, and working on his art, got the idea to paint a Harper mural Sunday night. The 21-year-old was inspired after seeing Harper’s epic homer in the bottom of the eighth against the Padres.

He pulled up a two-year-old sketch he’d drawn on his tablet of Harper’s side profile. In the image, Harper’s wearing a Phanatic bandana.

“It kind of just sat because we weren’t that good,” said Dougherty. “It really wasn’t that relevant at the time. Obviously, Harper’s been a great player, he’s been elite for a while and has been established as one of the best baseball players, but now it definitely made sense [to paint].”

Dougherty started to work late Sunday — he celebrated on Broad Street first — and completed his work Tuesday. Harper’s image can be seen on an exterior wall of Dougherty Electric at 45 E. Porter St., near the I-95 underpass. Another wall of the warehouse bears the two-story image of Sixers frontman Joel Embiid.

There’s been such a positive response online and from neighbors that Dougherty Electric left an entrance open so people could get a better view of the mural.

Street artist Nero — who has never revealed his name to create separation between his art and personal life — said he similarly experienced an “overwhelming” response Wednesday afternoon as he put up a Harper mural on the wall of a rowhome attachment at 12th and Christian Streets, which previously featured a 2018 mural he’d made of former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.

Andrea Cipriani Mecchi, 52, hopped out of her car to tell Nero how much she liked the old “St. Nick” mural.

“How can you not love something that makes you laugh or smile?” Cipriani Mecchi said of the outgoing mural depicting Foles as a saint.

Cipriani Mecchi said she similarly expected this new Harper mural to be the “talk of the block.”

For Nero, the mural is an ode to Harper, whom he lauded for his commitment to the city through his 13-year (and $330 million) contract.

“I love Harper, he’s my guy, and the city loves him right now,” said Nero. “I mean, it’s his time to shine and I want to showcase that.”

For South Philly resident and Nero fan Kevin Curran, 34, the mural also works as a bit of manifestation.

“It’s not that we wanna win, it’s that we’re gonna win,” said Curran, noting Harper’s confidence and positivity as factors in the team’s success.

Curran popped by during the mural installation to get a copy of Monday’s Inquirer stenciled with a Nero original that reads “pole climbing champs 2022″ beneath a Broad Street sign.

Curran said his plan is to display the paper when the Phillies win it all.