PHILADELPHIA. – Kyle Schwarber picked the perfect moment to wake up with the bat. The slugger of the
Philadelphia Phillies hit
two home runs, including one of
455 feet, to lead a resounding
8-2 victory over the
Los Angeles Dodgers and keep his team alive in the
National League Division Series (NLDS).
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With the Phillies down by one run to start the fourth inning, Schwarber hit a monumental home run against starting pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which traveled over the right field stands of
Dodger Stadium. That home run, with an exit velocity of
117.4 mph, according to
Statcast, was the
second most powerful of his career, only behind the one of
119.7 mph that he hit in Game 1 of the NLCS of 2022 against Yu Darvish.
Schwarber’s hit unleashed a three-run offensive that put the Phillies ahead, a lead they would not relinquish. Later, in the eighth inning, he punished again, this time against
Clayton Kershaw, with his second home run of the night to seal the victory.
With those two home runs, Schwarber reached
23 postseason home runs, surpassing Puerto Rican
Bernie Williams and ranking in
third place historically in Major League Baseball. Only Dominican
Manny Ramírez (29) and Venezuelan
José Altuve (27) surpass him.
The first home run of the night was also the fifth of at least 450 feet in Schwarber’s playoff career, the most recorded since Statcast began measuring distances in 2015. Only one other player, Freddie Freeman, has achieved more than one of that magnitude (two).
Furthermore, the blast in the fourth inning ended a
22-0 streak dating back to the regular season, including a
0-8 start with five strikeouts in this series. His hit not only tied the game, but also ignited Philadelphia’s bats, which finally managed to awaken their offense at the most critical moment.
With the victory, the Phillies avoided elimination and forced a
Game 4, in which they will seek to tie the series and continue in the race towards the dream of returning to the
National League Championship Series.
