Washington Nationals: 10 greatest moments at Nationals Park
By Brian Foley
10. Bryce Harper’s three-homer game (2015)
Bryce Harper’s performance on May 6 was one of his many individual highlights in what became the finest offensive season in the history of Washington baseball.
Batting fourth against the Miami Marlins, the then-22-year-old walloped three long balls off starter Tom Koehler, including a 441-foot missile in the fifth inning. All told, Harper went 3-4 with three homers, five RBI and nearly 1,300 feet in home run distance. He became the fourth Nationals player to hit three home runs in a game, and the first since Ryan Zimmerman in 2013.
Harper continued to tear up National League pitching for the rest of the summer en route his unanimous NL MVP award. The fiery right fielder posted a .330/.460/.649 slash line, and led the league with 42 homers, 118 runs, and a 198 OPS+.
The Nationals failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, but Harper’s record-breaking campaign still shined a light on an otherwise gloomy year.