MLB Tiger Makes History on Memorable Night
By: Robert MacRae August 16, 2024

On Thursday, a former Clemson standout had an eventful night in the big leagues – a historic night that he will never forget.

Weston Wilson, a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, accomplished an impressive feat by hitting for the cycle in his team’s 13-3 win over the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Wilson achieved just the 10th cycle in Phillies history and is the ninth Phillie player to hit for the cycle, as Chuck Klein did it two times.

The former Tiger also became the first rookie in Phillies history to hit for the cycle.

Wilson tripled and singled in the fourth inning, homered in the seventh frame and then completed the cycle in the eighth with a double to right field.

Nationals outfielder Alex Call made a diving effort to catch Wilson’s liner to right, but the ball bounced off Call’s glove and then rolled away on the grass, allowing Wilson to reach second base safely with the double.

“I thought it was more in the gap,” Wilson said, via ESPN. “I saw him closing in and I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ I saw it trickle out and, fortunately, he didn’t catch it.”

After a 4-for-5 night at the plate Thursday with his home run, RBI and three runs scored, Wilson is now hitting .342 across 38 at-bats this season with three homers, seven RBI and a 1.034 OPS.

“I’m just trying to put good at-bats together whenever I get the chance,” he said.

Wilson became the fourth player in the major leagues to hit for the cycle this season, joining Wyatt Langford of the Texas Rangers, Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Xavier Edwards of the Miami Marlins.

Wilson made his MLB debut last August, when he homered in his first career plate appearance, and he finished the 2023 season with a .313 average, the homer, two RBI, five runs scored and three steals over eight games (16 at-bats) with the Phillies.

The now 29-year-old native of High Point, N.C., was drafted in the 17th round (No. 501 overall pick) of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed that June. The Phillies signed him as a free agent in January 2023.

At Clemson, Wilson was a career .260 hitter with a .330 on-base percentage in 175 games (164 starts) over three seasons from 2014-16. He had 26 doubles, four triples, 14 homers, 94 RBIs, 95 runs, 62 walks, five hit-by-pitches and 18 steals.

–Photo courtesy Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports