Santo Domingo. Bryce Harper had a historic performance this Monday at Citizens Bank Park by becoming the first Phillies player in the Statcast era (since 2015) to hit two home runs of at least 440 feet in the same game.
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In the sixth inning, Harper hit a ball of 440 feet to the second level of the right-center field, his longest home run since September 2023. Less than an hour later, in the seventh inning, he surpassed it with a 448-foot missile, also to the same area.
The star outfielder’s two home runs led an offense of 21 hits, the most of the season for Philadelphia, in the 12-7 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the series opener.
Featured Performances
- Trea Turner: hit his 1,500th career home run, finished 6-4 with five RBIs.
- Ranger Suárez: worked 6.2 innings with two earned runs and 10 strikeouts without walks, the best outing of his recent weeks.
- J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos also contributed with home runs and multi-hit games.
Special Context
The triumph came on an emotional day for the Phillies, after learning that ace Zack Wheeler underwent a medical procedure to remove a clot in his right arm. His future in the season is still uncertain. “We lost a great pitcher and we have to perform as best we can to fill those shoes,” Suárez pointed out. Harper, for his part, emphasized that the team is focused on keeping the goal alive:“Zack wants us to play our game, to go far in the postseason and win a World Series. That’s the goal, and he wants us to achieve it.”
