After a four-week slump, the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to get their season on track, and they were led to a win by an unlikely hero Thursday night. Rookie utility man Weston Wilson became the ninth Phillies player ever to hit for the cycle in the team's blowout win over the Washington Nationals (PHI 13, WAS 3). Philadelphia is 71-50 and seven games up in the NL East.
Wilson, 29, was playing in is 24th MLB game Thursday. He struck out against lefty Mitchell Parker in the first inning, then tripled against Parker in the fourth, reached on an infield single against righty Eduardo Salazar later in that fourth inning, homered off righty Tanner Rainey in the seventh, then doubled off righty Orlando Ribalta in the eighth to complete the cycle.
Give Nationals right fielder Alex Call an A for effort on his diving attempt to rob Wilson of the double that completed the cycle:
The Phillies have been around since 1882 and yet Wilson hit for only the 10th cycle in franchise history. J.T. Realmuto hit for the cycle last June. Prior to that, no Phillie had hit for the cycle since David Bell in 2004. Gregg Jefferies (1995), Johnny Callison (1963), Chuck Klein (1931, 1933), Cy Williams (1927), Sam Thompson (1894), and Lave Cross (1894) have the franchise's other cycles.
Wilson signed with the Phillies as a minor-league free agent in January 2023 and he's gone back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues the last two years. He has been very productive whenever he's been pressed into duty. Thursday's 4-for-5 effort improved Wilson's career slash line to .333/.403/.630 in 62 big-league plate appearances.
Philadelphia is tentatively scheduled to face lefties Friday (Patrick Corbin) and Saturday (MacKenzie Gore), so the right-handed hitting Wilson figures to stay in the lineup the next few days. He played both first base and left field Thursday, and also has experience at second base, third base, and in right field.
Wilson is the fourth player to hit for the cycle this season. He joins Texas Rangers rookie Wyatt Langford, Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, and Miami Marlins speedster Xavier Edwards.
