PHILADELPHIA — To go from an undrafted free agent to a big leaguer in just four seasons, Otto Kemp needed to swing his way there. Bunting wasn’t really on the table.

The last bunt attempt he could remember making was back in 2021 when he was on the St. Cloud Rox, a Minnesota-based collegiate summer team in the Northwoods League; he popped it up straight up to the catcher.

Kemp hid that inexperience on Monday night as he laid down a beauty in the 11th inning, helping the Phillies beat the Cubs, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game series. Playing in his third career game, the rookie made a difference in a much-needed win for Philadelphia, which had dropped nine of its previous 10 games.

“It was great,” Kemp said. “Just trying to get on top of it and execute.”

After Kemp was called up to the majors this past weekend in Pittsburgh, Phillies manager Rob Thomson asked him if he could bunt, should the situation call for it. The 25-year-old didn’t mention that last attempt for St. Cloud, but he did tell Thomson that he was capable. The Phillies put him to the test in a key spot.

In a tie game in the bottom of the 11th with a runner on first, Philadelphia called for back-to-back bunts from Bryson Stott and Kemp. Both appeared to be sacrifice attempts, but turned into infield singles. Kemp’s hit loaded the bases for Brandon Marsh, who hit a walk-off single to the wall in left-center field. The celebration ensued for a team without much to cheer about of late.

“Hopefully that just sort of settles things down a little bit,” Thomson said.

Kemp went 3-for-5 with a run scored on a night of firsts for the right-handed batter. He bunted for the first time as a professional, recorded his first major-league hit and stepped foot at Citizens Bank Park for the very first time. He’ll save the ball from his first hit — a line-drive single to left in the fifth — and put it on display.

“That was huge,” Marsh said. “The dude’s a stud. I’m so happy for him, his family and everyone. That was a big night for him, a big night for all of us.”

When Kemp arrived at the stadium on Monday, he didn’t really know where he was going. He followed catcher J.T. Realmuto into the building and just tried to figure out how things were set up. The ignorance was by design, as Kemp intentionally stayed away from Citizens Bank Park until his promotion.

“I just tried to keep it special,” he said. “Just tried to keep it something that I’d get to do on the first day that I make it to the big leagues. And it was kind of just a little bit of motivation to keep me pushing and get to this point.”

Day 1 at the home ballyard was a success.

“The energy that I felt today, the support from all these fans, the buzz is crazy,” Kemp said. “And that was another reason why I didn’t want to experience it before the first big-league game. It was awesome. I am excited to be a Phillie.”

Kemp did make an error at third base in the second inning, losing a chopper in the lights. “The third level is a little bit sneaky,” he said. He’ll need to make an adjustment to that up in the majors in these bigger stadiums.

With first baseman Bryce Harper on the injured list with a wrist issue, the Phillies have played Kemp at third so far and moved Alec Bohm across the diamond to play first. Thomson said before Monday’s game that he may flip Kemp, who’s not a great fielder, to first base after he gets some more reps at the position.

Either way, Kemp is here for the time being for his offense after lighting up Triple-A with 14 home runs. He played some small ball on Monday as the Phillies masked some bad baserunning and a lack of power as they squeaked across four runs on 16 hits.

It wasn’t the prettiest, but they got the job done in the end.

“We executed tonight,” Kemp said, “and hopefully that’s just some more trust that we can do it going forward.”