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Bryce Harper entered Tuesday with a hitless streak to open the season. He ended this streak. Loudly.
The Philadelphia Phillies outfielder hit the second home run of his career in a 9-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, with a series of progressively more brutal long balls.
He struck first in the first inning, crushing a Graham Ashcraft sinker 420 feet to center field for his first hit of the season. Harper was previously 0-for-11 in three games to open the season.
Harper then struck out in the fourth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie with a line drive that looked like it had no business clearing the right field wall. The ball was hit at 103.3 mph at a 19-degree launch angle, and had enough carry to go over the fence.
The homer was also the 1,000th home run of Harper's career.
Harper put the exclamation point on the night in the seventh inning, with a full count and the bases loaded. Already leading 4-1, Harper doubled the Phillies' output with a 422-foot home run to right-center, the seventh of his career.
Harper entered Tuesday hitting .000/.154/.000. He came out of it hitting .200/.294/.800.
Those three homers helped lift the Phillies to a much-needed win (as much as a win might be needed in early April) after a tough opening series against the division rival Atlanta Braves and a 6-3 loss to the Reds on Monday. Not a bad night for a player who was somewhat questionable to open the season with a back issue.
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