Bryce Harper’s 60th home run in a Phillies uniform put him closer to a wild MLB record.
This season, all 12 of Harper’s homers have been solo shots. His 11th solo blast on June 25 set a new franchise record for consecutive solo home runs.
But wait! There’s more! Harper is now four solo shots away from tying the MLB record set by Felipe Alou in 1966.
"110.8 mph and he did not miss it." #RingTheBell
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 30, 2021
VOTE ⭐️: https://t.co/OwA8WXyqco pic.twitter.com/WDOpHbS5HO
That’s 11 straight solo homers for Harper to begin the year, the most since Cameron Maybin also had 11 in 2019. Record is 16 by Felipe Alou in 1966 https://t.co/AS44VVNMQ3
— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) June 26, 2021
Harper isn’t enough to turn the Phillies around.
On the one hand, it’s always cool to see a player tie a record set more than half a century ago. Harper’s teammate Aaron Nola did that when he struck out 10 consecutive Mets on Friday to tie a record set by Mets legend Tom Seaver in 1970.
Both Nola and Harper set their own franchise records with these achievements.
Then, in Wednesday’s game, Nola also became the first pitcher in Phillies history to strike out 11 or more batters but not make it out of the fifth inning.
In the history of Major League Baseball, there have been over 20,000 players. How intricate and incredible it is to be in the history books alongside only one or two of so many talents?
On the other hand, will Harper ever homer again with runners on base?
The Phillies are 37-40 on the season, back in third place in the NL East, with a half-game edge on the Atlanta Braves. They’re two-and-a-half games behind the Nationals, five games behind the Mets.
MLB records are great, but at this point, Phillies fans would probably prefer multi-run homers and a few more wins.
Update:
After a rain delay, the Phillies and Marlins resumed play, and Harper hit his 13th home run of the season. It was also a solo shot.
Harper now has 245 career home runs; 141 of them are solos.