Phillies star Bryce Harper registered a new milestone on Wednesday after smashing his 300th career home run in the 10–8 loss in the finale of a three-game series against the Angels.
Harper blasted a pitch from Angels’ Matt Moore deep to right-center field during the eighth inning. The two-run home gave the Phillies an 8–7 advantage.
Harper became the fourth-youngest active player in baseball to reach 300 home runs and the 12th active player to secure the milestone, joining several greats. Among those on the list are J.D. Martinez, Manny Machado, Freddie Freeman, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Evan Longoria, Joey Votto, Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Cabrera and Nelson Cruz.
Harper’s 15th home run this season also made him the fifth player in franchise history to hit 300 homers and the 158th player in MLB history to join the 300-home run club. After rounding the bases at Citizens Bank Park, the 30-year-old received a standing ovation from fans.
Career home run No. 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for Bryce Harper 🔥
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 30, 2023
(via @Phillies)pic.twitter.com/lvEjmDKqKa
August has been great for the seven-time All-Star, as he’s hit 10 home runs this month alone. The two-time National League MVP has also homered in three consecutive games for the second time this month after Wednesday’s blast.
Harper is hitting .308/.402/.503 with 114 hits, 25 doubles, one triple, 15 homers and 55 RBIs this season. The Phillies (74–58) sit in second place and 13 games behind the first-place Braves (86–45) in the NL East.