Fightins' Cozens blasts off in game of his life

Dylan Cozens launched his way into history, but he still didn't quite catch up with his teammate in the Minor League home run race. That didn't matter at all Wednesday night.

Philadelphia's No. 7 prospect delivered the first three-homer game of his career, plating a professional-best seven runs in the process, as Double-A Reading routed Bowie, 13-0, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Cozens started with a solo shot over the wall in left-center field in the first inning. The 22-year-old outfielder wasted little time in picking up his second with another solo long ball, this one to right-center, in the third. After hitting into a force out in the fourth, he completed the home run hat trick in the sixth with a three-run homer to right-center.

An inning later, Cozens capped his night with a two-run triple to right. That established his new career high in RBIs, besting the six he compiled on June 11.

"Pretty happy to be honest," Cozens said of his day. "When you homer in your first at-bat, it's usually gonna be a good day no matter what, especially if you get the win as well. I just consistently put the bat on the ball today and made hard contact. It just happened to turn it into three homers and a triple."

Even still, he trails teammate Rhys Hoskins by one for the Minor League lead as Philly's No. 13 prospect went yard to left in the third. The duo are the first teammates in the Eastern League with 30 homers apiece since Ron Kittle and Randy Johnson for the Glenns Falls White Sox in 1981.

"That's a big reason we're doing so well as a team," Cozens said. "Teams sometimes, they just gotta pick which one they want to come after. Sometimes we both make them pay or one of us makes them pay. A big bat like that in the lineup besides me, it's a lot of fun.

"I don't really care about [eclipsing Hoskins], to be honest. It's good to have a good night. I wouldn't say it's a huge important thing to lead the Minor Leagues in home runs, I'm more focused on trying to lead the Major Leagues in home runs one day. The Major Leagues is on the top of my list right now."

Overall, Cozens is batting .282 and is tied with Hoskins for the league lead in RBIs with 96. The Arizona native also paces the circuit with a .962 OPS.

"I'm continuing to try to get better every day and it's showing through the season," he said. "I'm learning how to make the right adjustments the more and more I play."

Tom Eschelman improved to 3-2 after giving up three hits and fanning five over six innings for the Fightin Phils.