Philadelphia's Harper Hits First Career Cycle; Schwarber Blasts 3 Homers

Bryce Harper, the star slugger for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB), led his team to a resounding victory by hitting for the cycle—a single, double, triple, and home run in a single game—for the first time in his career.

Harper delivered a stellar performance in today's (June 21) home game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

The Phillies crushed the Mets 15-3, powered by Harper's historic achievement and a three-home run show by Kyle Schwarber.

Harper, who had been in a slump over the past week, showed his determination before the game by taking batting practice on the field rather than in the indoor batting cages, an unusual move for him.

The training paid off from his very first at-bat.

In the bottom of the first inning, he opened the door to his historic day by launching a solo home run over the right-center field wall against Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.

He then showcased aggressive baserunning in the bottom of the third inning to turn a potential single into a double, and later in the same inning, he added a single to right field.

With only the triple—the most difficult leg of the cycle—remaining, Harper finally completed the feat in the bottom of the fifth inning.

He drove a ball from Tobias Myers into the left-center gap and sprinted at full speed, not even minding that his helmet flew off, to slide safely into third base.

As his first career cycle was completed, Harper raised both arms and clenched his fists in celebration.

It was a particularly meaningful moment for him, as he had previously fallen just one triple short of a cycle in 21 different games.

With the addition of Schwarber's performance, who blasted three home runs, including two in a single inning, the Phillies set a rare record in MLB history.

It is only the second time in MLB history that one player has hit for the cycle while a teammate hit three or more home runs in the same game, the first being the New York Yankees in June 1932 (Tony Lazzeri hit for the cycle, and Lou Gehrig hit four home runs).

Schwarber solidified his position as the MLB home run leader with 28 homers.
 

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.