Bryce Harper's Phillies jersey breaks LeBron James' 48-hour sales record

March 5 (UPI) -- Newly acquired Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper made history before taking a swing.

According to sports retailer Fanatics, Harper's new Phillies jersey broke a company record Monday by becoming the all-time top online seller in any sport for any athlete during the first 48 hours of its release.

LeBron James' jersey with the Los Angeles Lakers held the previous record. The best-selling threads after Harper and James were Giancarlo Stanton (New York Yankees), Khalil Mack (Chicago Bears) and Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers).

Harper's new jersey went on sale for the first time at 2:10 p.m. EST on Saturday, when the club formally introduced the star slugger in a press conference. The former Washington Nationals outfielder signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies last week.

In addition to a new team, Harper also changed his jersey number. In his seven-year stint with the Nationals, Harper wore No. 34. The outfielder switched to No. 3 with his new club.

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Roy Halladay, who died in a plane crash last November, suited up in No. 34 during his tenure with the Phillies.

"I wore number 34, but I thought Roy Halladay should be the last one to wear it," Harper told reporters. "He's somebody in this game that is greater than a lot of guys that have ever played it. He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. For me, it's Roy Halladay. He's 34. He's what represents that number."

For his career, Harper has a .279 batting average with 184 home runs and 521 RBIs. He also has 75 stolen bases and a .512 slugging percentage.