The Phillies are finally turning things around after a rough month.
On Thursday night, they dominated the Nationals with a 13-3 victory. The star of the game was rookie Weston Wilson, who hit for the cycle, making him only the ninth player in Phillies history to do so. Philadelphia now stands at 71-50 and holds a seven-game lead in the NL East.
Wilson’s performance was impressive. In his 24th MLB game, he struck out initially but then hit a triple off Mitchell Parker in the fourth inning. Later that same inning, he got an infield single against Eduardo Salazar. By the seventh inning, he homered off Tanner Rainey and finally doubled off Orlando Ribalta in the eighth to complete his cycle .
Give Nationals right fielder Alex Call credit for his diving attempt to stop Wilson’s double:
Historic Achievement:
The Phillies have been around since 1882, yet this is only their tenth cycle ever. J.T. Realmuto achieved it last June; before that, it hadn’t happened since David Bell did it in 2004. Other players who’ve hit for the cycle include Gregg Jefferies (1995), Johnny Callison (1963), Chuck Klein (1931, 1933), Cy Williams (1927), Sam Thompson (1894), and Lave Cross (1894).
Wilson joined the Phillies as a minor-league free agent in January 2023 and has been moving between Triple-A and MLB ever since. His stats are solid: Thursday’s game boosted his career numbers to .333/.403/.630 over 62 plate appearances.
Fans might think it’s exciting to see how Wilson will perform next! Philadelphia plans to face left-handed pitchers Patrick Corbin on Friday and MacKenzie Gore on Saturday. So expect Wilson to stay active; he can play first base, left field, second base, third base, and right field.
This season alone has seen four players hit for the cycle: Texas Rangers’ Wyatt Langford, Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez, Miami Marlins’ Xavier Edwards—and now Weston Wilson.
What do you think about Wilson’s incredible night?
