PHILADELPHIA -- It had been 30 years since it took the Phillies and Mets this long into a season to meet for the first time.
So what better way to celebrate the occasion than for Bryce Harper to unleash, perhaps, a new secret weapon against the longtime rival?
One night after hitting for his first career cycle, Harper came within a triple of doing so again in Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park.
Following that cycle on Saturday night, Harper revealed that he’d used a heavier bat than usual to achieve the historic feat. Typically reserved for pregame work in the cages, Harper used a 35-ounce bat to produce his single, double, triple and home run.
On Sunday, though, Harper did not use that same 35-ounce bat for his first trip to the plate. The bat itself was a 35-ouncer, but it was a much newer model.
Harper struck out.
So, what did he do his next time up?
Harper hauled that three-year-old, 35-ounce hunk of lumber to the dish and promptly ripped a double to right field. Needless to say, he stuck with it for at-bat No. 3 -- one that ended with the ball in the right-field seats.
The same 35-ounce bat produced a line-drive single in his fourth and final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh.
“I don't know if that's the reason why, to tell you the truth,” Harper said of the heavier bat. “I'm not sure. I felt good swinging it, so I'm gonna go until I can't with it, right?"
Of course, it’s not as simple as just rolling with the heavier bat because it’s worked for a couple of days in a row. There’s more to it than that. Jumping from a 31.5-ounce bat to a 35-ounce bat on a permanent basis in the middle of a season could potentially throw off timing or mechanics long term.
Not to mention Harper -- who has a violent swing at times -- has missed time with wrist problems each of the last two seasons.
“Obviously, there's gonna be days where I feel good and I feel like I can swing a heavier bat,” Harper said. “And then there's gonna be other days where I probably can't swing a heavy bat like that. So I'll pick and choose weight-wise.”
And while Harper brought a new (albeit very old) toy to the long-awaited showdown, his fellow superstars just kept plugging along.
Kyle Schwarber hit another home run on Sunday -- his MLB-leading 29th -- after hitting three on Saturday. Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez combined for a 2.31 ERA over their 11 2/3 innings.
Together, Harper and Schwarber went a combined 12-for-17 with six home runs and 13 RBIs over the past two games.
“I think when me and Schwarbs have big swings or great at-bats,” Harper said, “we got a chance to win games.”
Schwarber is on pace for 62 home runs. He hit a career-high 56 last season, just shy of Ryan Howard’s franchise record (58).
“I actually thought about that last night during the game,” Wheeler said. “It’s hard to take a step back while you're actually playing and in the moment. … You hear about all the greats before you, and you watched them as a fan. But I'm actually here watching these guys do something magical and do something special career-wise.
“They're putting together unbelievable careers, and it's fun to be present and watch that happen live.”
The Phillies’ biggest stars did exactly what they were supposed to do (and more) in this type of series. They helped the Phils improve to 42-35, eight games clear of the last-place Mets (34-43).
The two rivals -- who had only seen each other from afar prior to Thursday -- have been through a lot this season.
The Phillies got off to a 9-19 start that led to a managerial change on April 28. The Mets, meanwhile, had an identical 9-19 record at that point -- though they've stuck by manager Carlos Mendoza.
But while the Phillies and Mets got off to similarly disastrous starts, they're in very different places now. Among National League teams, only the Dodgers, Braves and Brewers have a better record than the Phillies. Meanwhile, only the Giants and Rockies have a worse record than the Mets.
The Phillies head to Citi Field for three more games against the Mets next weekend.
Who knows what bat Harper will be using by then?
“It feels good,” he said of the old 35-ounce bat. “Just gotta keep going.”