Bryce Harper homered in the first inning, doubled and singled in a raucous third inning, then tripled in the fifth inning Saturday against the Mets. Kyle Ross / Imagn ImagesJune 20, 2026 Updated 9:38 pm EDTPHILADELPHIA — It took Bryce Harper 11.8 seconds to go from the batter’s box to third base, a destination he had in mind the moment the ball left the bat. He was running to third base no matter what. Once Harper reached the bag, he raised both arms to the sky.He had it. It was the first cycle of his career.Harper completed it in five innings, one of the quickest cycles in 144 seasons of Philadelphia Phillies baseball. He homered in the first inning, doubled and singled in a raucous third inning, then tripled in the fifth.
He reached third base without a throw because the New York Mets tried to nail Kyle Schwarber at home plate. It might have been convenient scoring, but Harper never stopped running. So, it was a triple.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 21, 2026This was the 11th cycle in Phillies history and the first since Weston Wilson’s in 2024.And it wasn’t even the rarest thing to happen in Saturday’s game; Kyle Schwarber homered twice in the same inning, becoming only the fourth Phillies player ever to do so. His two homers in the third totaled 913 feet. The Phillies sent 12 men to the plate that inning and scored eight runs against New York’s top starter, Freddy Peralta.Harper was 1-for-his-last-22 entering Saturday’s game. With his first four at-bats, he raised his OPS by 39 percentage points. Once the inning ended, Harper walked across the infield grass to a standing ovation and tipped his helmet to the crowd.Jun 21, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
