'It was pretty cool' - Harper on MAMMOTH HR

PHILADELPHIA -- A day after ending his eight-game RBI drought with a two-run double in Friday's win, Phillies slugger Bryce Harper showed with one swing that he may be ready to go on a tear.

Harper jumped all over a first-pitch fastball from Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela in the first inning of Saturday's 2-1 win at Citizens Bank Park, sending it a projected 466 feet, according to Statcast, over the batter's eye in center field and onto Ashburn Alley. It was Harper's second-longest home run since Statcast began tracking in 2015, trailing only a 473-foot shot on May 4 last season with the Nationals.

"It was pretty cool," Harper said. "Of course I enjoyed it a little bit."

It was also the second-longest homer by any Phillies player during that span. Maikel Franco hit a 471-foot homer on July 10, 2016, which also came against the Rockies, albeit at Coors Field.

"Just as a fan, you stop and you watch the distance of the ball," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "That’s kind of rare territory. Pretty impressive."

As for Harper's moonshot on Saturday, it had an exit velocity of 114.1 mph, making it his third-hardest hit home run in the last five seasons. He later added a double in the seventh inning that jumped off his bat at 111.2 mph. It was Harper's third game with multiple batted balls of at least 110 mph over the last five seasons -- his first since Oct. 1, 2017.

Harper went 2-for-3 with a strikeout Saturday, and looks to be on the cusp of a turnaround after entering the game hitting .185 (10-for-54) with one home run in May.

"Matt Williams always used to tell me, ‘It’s not how far, it’s how many,’" Harper said, referencing his former manager for two seasons with the Nationals. "I'm just trying to go about it the right way every single day, doing things out there to help this team win."