Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Weston Wilson made history on Thursday. Wilson hit for the cycle, helping lead the Phillies to a huge 13-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.
After the game, Wilson spoke with Todd Zolecki of MLB.com about what he was feeling after his historic day at the plate.
“It’s honestly kind of a blur to me right now, I’m just trying to process everything,” Wilson said. “I think it’s a testament to perseverance, staying with everything. It hasn’t been easy, but last year against them was my first game. To have that moment last year and this one, it’s really cool.”
The Phillies rookie has played sparingly this season for the big league club, spending the majority of the year in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. During his debut last season, Wilson made headlines by hitting a home run in his first Major League at bat during Michael Lorenzen's no-hitter, also against the Nationals.
Wilson became just the ninth player in Phillies history to ever hit for the cycle, the first since catcher J.T. Realmuto on June 12, 2023 and the first player to do it at home at Citizens Bank Park since David Bell on June 28, 2004. Wilson also became the first Phillies rookie to ever hit for the cycle, and just the second rookie in Major League Baseball to accomplish the feat this season after Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford hit for the cycle on June 30.
How Weston Wilson hit for the cycle
![Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Weston Wilson (37) reacts after hitting a double during the eighth inning to complete the cycle against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.](https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/08-16-24-weston-wilson-image.jpeg)
Wilson's first hit of the game came in the fourth inning when he roped a line drive off of the right field wall and and Nationals right fielder Alex Call misplayed it, allowing Wilson to make it to third base for a triple and get the most difficult part of the cycle out of the way early.
Later in the same inning, Wilson softly popped the ball up in the middle of the infield with runners on first and second and Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. was unable to make a play at any base, giving Wilson the single.
In the seventh inning, Wilson crushed a solo home run to right-center field, putting the Phillies up 10-3 and setting him up to just need a double during his next at bat to complete the cycle.
Then, in the eighth inning, Wilson hit a line drive to right field that bounced off of the glove of a diving Call, allowing the Phillies rookie to motor into second and make history.
It doesn't look like Wilson would be playing a major role for the first place Phillies. However, it may be difficult to keep the young outfielder out of the lineup if he keeps hitting the way he did on Thursday.