Bryce Harper asked José Alvarado to make him a necklace. Now all the Phillies have them.
Another way the Phillies have bonded: those red, white, and blue beads they wear on their necks in games.
José Alvarado wanted to purchase a necklace earlier this year with red, yellow, and blue beads to match the flag of his native Venezuela. He found a seller online, hoping to wear his new jewelry when he pitched the late innings for the Phillies. But Alvarado’s message — “I could tell he read it,” he said — went unanswered.
“I said, ‘You know what? I can do it, too,’ ” Alvarado said.
And that’s how the Phillies’ flame-throwing relief pitcher became their clubhouse jeweler. Alvarado had a box of rhinestone beads shipped to Citizens Bank Park, sat at his locker in the afternoon, and threaded a necklace. It was perfect, just like the one he tried to purchase.
“Bryce Harper saw it and liked it. He said he wanted one,” Alvarado said. “So I said OK. Boom. I got you.’”
Alvarado made a necklace for Harper — red, white, and blue to match his uniform — but didn’t want the jewels to be exclusive. So he made one for every player. Alvarado passed the time before each game by meticulously placing beads on string. It helped him relax, Alvarado said, and was better than just staring at his phone.
“I think that tells you a little bit about Alvie,” Alec Bohm said. “I just know one day, I showed up and he had a bunch of boxes in his locker and he was sitting there making jewelry. Before you knew it, we all had one. He’s a very giving guy.”
The Phillies take the field with their jersey tops unbuttoned, celebrate big hits by bragging about the size of their marbles, and change into overalls after wins. And they’re accessorizing their uniforms this October with necklaces that look more fit for arts-and-crafts projects than a major-league playoff game. It’s all part of what makes this Phillies team a unique bunch.
“The necklace? We love it,” said Craig Kimbrel, who wore his in the clubhouse while his teammates soaked him with champagne after the Phils eliminated Miami. “We all love it. Alvarado is probably one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. The fact that he did this for everybody and everybody is willing to wear it. We’ll be wearing this for a while.”
Alvarado, when healthy, was one of baseball’s premier relievers this season. His 1.74 ERA was the eighth-lowest in the majors among relievers who logged at least 40 innings. He was placed on the injured list twice this season with elbow inflammation but returned in August and seemed to find his form by the season’s end. The left-hander allowed just one hit without issuing a walk in his final five appearances, each of which was scoreless. He is more than a jeweler.
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He continued to flash on Tuesday night, when he entered with two outs in the seventh inning, with two runners on and the Phillies clinging to a two-run lead. If the Marlins had a chance, this was it. Alvarado, his necklace dazzling, threw a nasty diving cutter for a strikeout of Yuli Gurriel to end the rally. He pumped his fists as the ballpark roared. An inning later, the fans serenaded him as they sang his name while he pitched.
“That made me feel very proud of myself because you earn the respect of the fans. You don’t get that out of a cereal box. That’s something you earn,” Alvarado said. “When I heard them saying, ‘José, José, José,’ it brought excitement and energy. It was a pretty special moment.”
Alvarado appeared in 12 of the team’s postseason games last October. Rob Thomson had fewer choices then, forcing him to rely over and over again on Alvarado. This year feels different. Kimbrel, Matt Strahm, Gregory Soto, and Jeff Hoffman — four of the team’s five most-used relievers — were acquired before the season. Orion Kerkering, who pitched a scoreless inning on Wednesday, reached the majors in the final week of the season.
The bullpen isn’t perfect, but Thomson has more options than just the jeweler. The Phils relievers ranked fourth in September in strikeout rate (10.8 per nine innings), ERA (2.74), and batting average against (.198). They entered the playoffs on a roll, just like Alvarado. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler were enough for the Phillies to bounce Miami. But the relievers will play a bigger role against Atlanta. They’re ready, Alvarado said.
“In my opinion, we’re the best bullpen in the game,” Alvarado said.
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Harper wore his necklace on Tuesday when he ditched his helmet, sped through a stop sign, and scored from second base. He’s one of the game’s highest-paid players but plays each night with a necklace made by a teammate.
It seems like nearly every Phillies player wore his necklace at some point this season. It became another thing they do, just like the way Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh sneak up on teammates during postgame TV interviews. It’s all because Alvarado’s message got ignored, inspiring him to find a hobby.
“Teammates being teammates,” Bohm said. “That’s what we’re about. He goes out on a whim and wants to make some flashy necklaces. Before you know it, everyone has one hanging from their locker and we’re wearing them in games. It’s kind of a testament to who he is and the kind of teammate he is.”
“We all love each other,” Kimbrel said. “For the last couple months, we’ve been showing up with each other and doing this every single day. We’re all very passionate about what we do and we care about the guys we do it with. The more you enjoy it, the more good comes out of guys. Guys aren’t tense. They play loose and we know we have each other’s back.”