PITTSBURGH — Kyle Schwarber kept turning a quiet series opener into a night the Phillies could not ignore. He finished with three hits, two home runs and five RBI on Friday night as Philadelphia opened a set against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
The power display came with a reminder that Schwarber is doing more than carrying a hot streak. One post quoted in the source said the 32-year-old slugger reached his 359th and 360th career home runs and moved into a tie with Gary Gaetti for 92nd on the all-time home run list. Another said he became the eighth player in major league history to reach 20 home runs in the first 45 games. Insights also said he had eight homers in his last eight games, and that his 19 home runs through 45 games led the league.
That pace has put Schwarber in a different category for the Phillies. Insights said his 19 homers were the most by a Philadelphia player through 45 games since Cy Williams hit 20 in 1923, a mark that has stood for more than a century. The post also said he is only the fourth player in Phillies history to homer eight times over an eight-game stretch. For a club looking to gain traction early in the season, that kind of run changes the shape of an entire lineup.
Schwarber has built the surge across his fifth season in Philadelphia, after earlier stops with the Cubs, Nationals and Red Sox over a 12-year career. He won the 2016 World Series with Chicago, but the Phillies have leaned on him as a middle-of-the-order force and a tone-setter when they need runs in a hurry. A separate post quoted in the source captured the mood around his production bluntly, asking when teams should stop pitching to him and just walk him.
The irony is that Philadelphia still needed the result as much as the statement. The Phillies improved to 22-23 after the win and sat in third place in the National League East. They were also 10-11 in road games after 21 away from home, a record that shows how little margin they have allowed themselves through 45 games. Schwarber’s night fit the urgency of the moment because it gave the Phillies both the burst and the cushion they have been looking for.
After two more games with the Pirates, the Phillies were scheduled to return home Monday to host the Cincinnati Reds. If Schwarber keeps producing at this pace, the coming stretch will not just shape Philadelphia’s record. It will decide how quickly the rest of the league treats him like a hitter who can no longer be given anything to drive.
