With Bryce Harper already at the 40-home run mark and in pursuit of a likely NL MVP award, perhaps overlooked in his historic season is his chance for another rare and impressive accomplishment. With two more hits on Thursday night, Harper raised his NL-best batting average to .340. The first batting title in Nationals team history is well within reach.
Reinforcing that thought was the fact Marlins All-Star Dee Gordon was also on the field on Thursday. Gordon is second in the NL with a .333 average and had two hits himself in the game. But with the way Harper has been heating up, it’s his award to lose.