Record day from Bryce Harper emphasizes big year

During a week filled with major sporting events in the nation's capital, Bryce Harper did his best to steal the show. The 22-year-old walloped three majestic homers in one game for the first time in his career while becoming the youngest to accomplish the feat in 46 years.

Harper's trio of tape measure blasts traveled a combined 1,276 feet - or almost a quarter of a mile. His last clout soared to the top of the second deck, almost guaranteeing that sooner or later one will make the previously untouched concourse level.

When the fans begged with louder screams and boisterous applause after Harper's third straight bomb in the fifth, the phenom finally relented and sprung out of the dugout for a curtain call. Harper thought the adulation was premature. He wasn't finished in his mind. He wanted more.

Harper's last at-bat came against hard-throwing Marlins right-hander Sam Dyson in the seventh with runners at the corners and one out.

"Of course, you want to try to get that fourth homer," Harper said. "That's something that would have been very cool to get. I missed a changeup first pitch that I should have swung out of my shoes at."

He eventually grounded out to Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon, but the play resulted in Harper's fifth RBI of the day and, more importantly, some much-needed breathing room for the Nats, which would pay off shortly after.

Nationals manager Matt Williams has been working with Harper to make sure he doesn't jump out of his socks on every swing at the plate. The strikeout numbers are certainly still there, as Harper has already whiffed a team-high 36 times in just 98 at-bats. At the same time though, Harper's improved plate discipline has led to a major-league leading 26 walks.

"I think when you're walking, you're a better hitter," Harper said. "When I was younger, I walked a bunch, and became a hitter I felt pretty good about. Talking to my pops, talking to people around the game, when you're seeing the ball well, you're getting into counts that make the pitcher think about it."

"I've even talked to pitchers. I've talked to Maxie (Scherzer) a bunch of times about it. When you're taking pitches on the inside half and they're one or two inches off and they're calling it a ball, you know that makes the pitcher freak out a little bit. So just trying to go up there and have some good ABs. If I walk, I walk. If I strike out, I strike out, if I hit a homer I hit a homer. It's just part of the game."

Harper's three homers on Wednesday vaulted him into fourth-best in the majors with eight. He is batting .265 with a team-best 20 RBIs. Though he speaks confident words, Harper is neither arrogant nor ignorant in the batter's box.

"There's times when I'm still missing my pitch," Harper said. "If you look at a minor leaguer and a big leaguer, a high school guy and a big league guy, they don't miss their pitch. Big leaguers do not miss. That's why Nelson Cruz is so good, that's why Mike Trout is so good, that's why Robinson Cano is so good. That's why all these guys are so good, because they don't miss their pitch."

"I'm still trying to get to that point. Just trying to have great ABs - I don't think I've had a bad AB all year, I've been locked in each AB - and you know (former Nats minor league coach) Marlon Anderson used to tell me, you only have to lock in for five seconds. Best you can. Five to 10 seconds, you're in that box, lock in as fast as you can and stay locked in.

Meanwhile, Harper, in his fourth-year, indicated during spring training that it was time for him to become one of the team's clubhouse leaders. There's no question his dynamic personality can provide a charge on and off the field.

"I think that the biggest way that you become a leader of your team is doing stuff like he did (yesterday)," manager Matt Williams said. "Being ready to play every day. Being excited about that. Just because you hit a homer doesn't mean you're a leader but the way you go about it. So the way he's led thus far is he's taking his walks. He's providing opportunity for anybody else that hits behind him. He's also doing what he did (yesterday). He's playing exceptional defense."

"All of those things are qualities of a true leader without having opened his mouth. That's the ultimate leader."