Just in case Weston Wilson needed a reminder on the hit he needed to complete the cycle in the bottom of the eighth on Thursday — Phillies fans chanted “double, double” for his at-bat as a noisy cue — Bryce Harper offered a helpful tip.
“Harper was at the top stop letting me know,” Wilson said, laughing. “If you hit it, keep running. Don’t stop until second.”
With the Phillies ahead in a rout, Wilson lined a shot to right field that was nearly caught by Washington right fielder Alex Call. Call fell short on a diving attempt, the ball smacked off his glove and rolled toward center, giving Wilson the opening he needed to take up Harper on his advice.
Photo: AFP
Wilson hustled to second base, becoming the first rookie to hit for the cycle in Philadelphia Phillies history.
Wilson’s teammates went wild in the dugout and slapped the railing — former Phillie John Kruk gave him a standing ovation from his spot in the stands where he called the game — and fans who stuck around in a 13-3 win were rewarded as witnesses to a slice of history.
“I thought it was more in the gap,” Wilson said. “I saw him closing in and I was like: ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ I saw it trickle out and, fortunately, he didn’t catch it.”
Photo: AFP
With his pregnant wife cheering him on from the stands — they are expecting a boy on Sept. 1 — Wilson tripled and singled in the fourth; homered in the seventh and became the ninth Phillies player to hit for the cycle.
Wilson had the 10th cycle in Phillies history — Chuck Klein did it twice — and became the first home player to accomplish the feat at Citizens Bank Park since David Bell in 2004. He was the first Phillies player to hit for the cycle since catcher J.T. Realmuto last year.
Batting eighth in the lineup, Wilson joined a full-cycle club in the big leagues already this season: Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford, Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and Miami Marlins infielder Xavier Edwards all accomplished the feat.
The 29-year-old Wilson started in left field against Nationals lefty Mitchell Parker, a sign that manager Rob Thomson is comfortable giving the outfielder more at-bats against lefties than outfielder Brandon Marsh.
With more games like this one, Wilson should earn plenty of playing time for the National League East leaders.
“He can run the bases, he can steal a base. He’s got a lot of qualities,” Thomson said.
Elsewhere on Thursday, it was:
‧ Brewers 6, Dodgers 4
‧ Giants 6, Braves 0
‧ Mets 6, Athletics 7
‧ Orioles 5, Red Sox 1
‧ Rangers 2, Twins 3
‧ Tigers 2, Mariners 1
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