Watch: Cespedes crushes 3 home runs in 4 at-bats

Yoenis Cespedes' core strength was working overtime against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. He hit three home runs for the second time as a member of the New York Mets. The first time came on Aug. 21, 2015 against the Colorado Rockies. He became the first Met to do it twice.

The first, a three-run shot, came in the game's opening inning off starter Clay Buchholz. The other two both came off reliever Adam Morgan in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, though no one was on base either time.

Cespedes wasn't the only member of the power brigade in the early going. Both Asdrubal Cabrera and Lucas Duda took Morgan yard to help extend the lead to 10-2 in the sixth inning. Duda would add another in the ninth inning, while catcher Travis d'Arnaud drilled one of his own in the eighth, upping the team's total to seven long balls.

It's the 13th time a member of the Mets has hit three long balls in a single game, according to Newsday's Marc Carig, and Cespedes becomes the first to do it twice.

Cespedes finished the night 4-for-6 with a double to go along with his three dingers, and 14 total bases. It was the eighth time in his career, fourth with the Mets, where Cespedes got five or more RBIs in a single game.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)