Turner Hits First Home Run In Phillies Uniform, Sparks Win

Trea Turner showed the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday why he was deserving of an 11-year, $300 million contract.

Turner proved his mettle in a variety of ways, hit his first home run in a Phillies uniform, and led them to a 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Turner fell just a triple short of the Phillies’ first cycle since David Bell accomplished the feat on June 28, 2004. He also stole a base and played stellar defense at shortstop.

He was the whole package as advertised.

“It felt good,” Turner said of blasting his first homer. “It's been a minute, but I wanted to drive the baseball, and today, I kind of got back to hitting some balls hard. So, it felt good."

Turner finished 3-for-5 and also had two RBI and two runs scored.

It was easy to see why the Phillies locked in so heavily on Turner in the offseason. He’s worth every penny.

"I wouldn't even know what goes through a pitcher's mind when he steps up," Brandon Marsh said of Turner. "Trea is Trea -- the name speaks for itself. He's a special talent and we're blessed to have him."

Turner already has 26 hits this season, which is tied for his most through the first 19 games in any of his nine MLB seasons.

Turner has 10 games this season with multiple hits.

The only player in MLB with more? Teammate Bryson Stott with 12.

“Triple short of the cycle, stolen base, played great defense -- he had a great ballgame today,” manager Rob Thomson said of Turner. “When him and Stott get on base, we'll score. That's pretty much the way it's going to be.”

In a short sample size, Turner’s leadership qualities have been evident. That’s not an easy thing to do when you change teams with a huge contract.

Through 19 games, it’s obvious that Turner is respected by his teammates.

Turner is producing. He’s leading, too.

It’s obvious that this signing is going to pay huge dividends now and in the future.

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