Kyle Schwarber Was Willing to Get Himself Thrown Out Just to Help Bryce Harper Hit for the Cycle

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 15-3 on Saturday night, but the final score was almost beside the point. Kyle Schwarber hit three home runs. Bryce Harper hit for the cycle. And somewhere in the middle of it all, Schwarber made it clear he would do something reckless to help his teammate finish the job.

Harper needed a triple to complete the cycle. That’s the hardest part. Triples don’t happen often at Citizens Bank Park, and Harper isn’t exactly known for his speed anymore. So Schwarber came up with a plan. A bad plan, by normal baseball standards. But a plan nonetheless.

“I’m going to run through the stop sign,” Schwarber told NBC Sports Philadelphia after the game.

That wasn’t just a funny quote. Schwarber meant it. He said he asked Paco Figueroa whether getting intentionally caught in a rundown — and possibly thrown out at home — could still count as enough distraction to let Harper get to third. The answer, apparently, was no. But the fact that Schwarber even asked tells you everything about how the Phillies operate right now.

“We were all focused on just trying to make sure that he gets the third base there,” Schwarber said. “We knew as soon as he hits and it gets into the gap, we know he’s gonna go.”

Schwarber’s night was already historic

By the time Harper stepped to the plate needing a triple, Schwarber had already launched three home runs. Two of them came during an eight-run third inning that turned the game into a rout. The three-time All-Star is now hitting .245 with a .361 on-base percentage and a .558 slugging percentage for the season. He has 25 home runs and 43 RBI.

But the third homer wasn’t enough. Schwarber wanted to make sure the night became something bigger. He wanted Harper to get that triple, and he was ready to do something dumb to make it happen.

“It was a pretty cool night overall,” Schwarber said.

That’s an understatement. The Phillies turned a midsummer game against a division opponent into a highlight reel that will last all season. And the best part might not even be the home runs. It might be the teammate who was willing to take one for the team — or at least take one for the cycle.