Watch: Bryce Harper belts long home run off of Max Scherzer

Well, that’s what cleanup hitters do.

Batting out of the fourth spot in the lineup against former teammate Max Scherzer, Bryce Harper launched a 431-foot solo home run to cut the visiting Washington Nationals’ lead in half in the bottom of the second inning Tuesday. It also marked a personal milestone for the 28-year-old, as the longball brought him to 500 career extra base hits.

It actually wasn’t a bad 1-2 cutter from Scherzer — it ended up off the plate inside, but Harper turned on it and was able to keep it fair. The location of the pitch and the ball’s final destination were both reminiscent of Harper’s walk-off grand slam against the Chicago Cubs in August of 2019:

Way up there and way outta here!
pic.twitter.com/CDgOcHib7Z

— Phillies Nation (@PhilliesNation) June 22, 2021

Tuesday’s big fly was Harper’s seventh career homer against the Nationals. It was the ninth home run of the season for the right fielder, who is playing in his 51st of the Phillies’ 70 games so far this season. His first home run in exactly two weeks brings his OPS to .870 on the year.

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