Rookie's 'testament to perseverance': Wilson hits for 10th cycle in Phillies history

PHILADELPHIA -- Weston Wilson knew.

The rookie walked to home plate in the eighth inning in Thursday night’s 13-3 victory over the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park just a double shy of the 10th cycle in Phillies history. Wilson heard fans tell him that he needed a double. He heard Bryce Harper, who stood at the top of the home dugout steps and told Wilson that if he hit the ball to keep running until he reached second base.

History was on the line.

• Cycles in MLB history

Wilson hit Orlando Ribalta’s 2-2 fastball to right-center field. Nationals right fielder Alex Call pursued it. He dove. Call had robbed hits from Wilson in the Minor Leagues, so he wondered if he would rob him again.

But this time the ball deflected off his glove toward center field. Wilson cruised into second for a double, making him the ninth player in Phillies history to hit for the cycle, the first since J.T. Realmuto on June 12, 2023, in Arizona, and the first at the Bank since David Bell against the Expos on June 28, 2004.

Wilson is the first Phillies rookie to do it and the second in MLB this season -- joining Wyatt Langford, who logged one for the Rangers on June 30, the first time two rookies have hit for the cycle in the same season. Two others have achieved the feat this season -- the Astros' Yordan Alvarez on July 21 and the Marlins' Xavier Edwards on July 28.

“It’s honestly kind of a blur to me right now,” Wilson said. “I’m just trying to process everything.”

Wilson had 2,836 plate appearances in the Minor Leagues over seven seasons, when he homered in his first big league at-bat on Aug. 9, 2023, at Citizens Bank Park. It was a great story in another game against the Nationals, although it got overshadowed by Michael Lorenzen’s no-hitter.

Nobody overshadowed Wilson on Thursday.

“I think it’s a testament to perseverance, staying with everything,” Wilson said about the long journey to this historic moment. “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.”

Wilson started the season slowly in Triple-A, but he rebounded and joined the Phillies on July 12, after a brief June stint, the same day they released Whit Merrifield.

Merrifield was great in the clubhouse, but he showed no signs of improvement offensively. The Phils thought Wilson presented a better alternative in left field, whenever the club faced a left-handed pitcher.

They said they wanted to see if he could fill Merrifield’s role.

Wilson had started four games in left field, before the Phillies acquired Austin Hays from the Orioles on July 26. Philadelphia said Hays would be the everyday player in left, pushing Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas to center field and Wilson to the bench.

Wilson had started only twice since Hays arrived, until Thursday night.

Wilson is making a case for more opportunities. He should get them, at least through the end of the weekend. The Nationals will throw left-handers Patrick Corbin and MacKenzie Gore on Friday and Saturday nights. Right-hander Jake Irvin pitches on Sunday.

Hays could be back next week.

“He’ll get at-bats against left-handed pitching for sure,” manager Rob Thomson said about Wilson.

Wilson tripled off the right-field wall in the fourth inning for his first hit. The ball took a big bounce back toward the infield, giving Wilson the opportunity to reach third.

“That’s kind of why I had a trip up around second base and almost ate it a little bit,” Wilson said. “I didn’t see the ball coming back toward me because of the video board. I thought he was right on the ball.”

Wilson reached on a popup infield single in the same inning. He hit a 2-2 slider way inside.

“Honestly, I don’t know how I hit it,” he said. “It blew me up. I probably hit that ball 50 mph off the bat.”

43.1 mph, actually.

It fell just in front of second baseman Luis García Jr., but there was nobody covering first for his second hit.

Wilson homered to right in the seventh for his third.

“Once that happened, I kind of knew there was a chance if I came back up,” Wilson said.

Then the double.

Wilson said he isn’t sure what mementos he will keep from this game. The Phillies know they got the double ball. They think they might have the single and triple balls, too.

The homer? That’s long gone.

Wilson doesn’t need it. It took him more than 2,600 plate appearances in the Minor Leagues to finally reach the big leagues. He homered in his first plate appearance. He completed a cycle in his 62nd.

That’s special enough.

“Just very grateful,” he said.