WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper has finally hit the century mark.
Harper collected his 100th RBI with a sacrifice fly against Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara on Monday night. The fly ball to left, which came with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored Adam Eaton, gives the Washington Nationals slugger the first 100-RBI season of his seven-year career.
Harper’s previous best RBI total came in 2015, when he won the National League MVP award. That year, he drove in 99 runs in 153 games, the exact same numbers he had entering Monday’s series opener against Miami.
Besides setting a career high in RBIs against the Marlins, the 25-year-old outfielder also established a personal best in games, as he appeared in his 154th contest.
Both marks come at the beginning of what could be the slugger’s final home series as a member of the Nationals. Slated to become a free agent at the end of this season, Harper is expected to challenge Giancarlo Stanton‘s record for the richest contract in MLB history, a $325 million deal handed out by the Marlins in 2014.
This past weekend, Harper broke his own franchise record when he drew his 125th walk of the season. He entered Monday with a career-high 163 strikeouts and was batting .245, just two points above the career low he set during the 2016 campaign.
Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto followed Harper’s sac fly with back-to-back home runs off of Alcantara.