PITTSBURGH — Kyle Schwarber admits he can’t pinpoint exactly why his bat has been so hot lately.
“It’s a great question,” Schwarber said.
But the Philadelphia slugger isn’t too concerned with finding explanations. What matters is that he’s discovered his groove, and more crucially, his entire team has followed suit.
Even after launching two two-run home runs that brought his season total to a major league-best 20 and drawing a bases-loaded walk during a dramatic ninth-inning comeback, Schwarber preferred highlighting his teammates’ contributions in Friday’s thrilling 11-9, 10-inning triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Schwarber’s 20th homer came on the earliest calendar date in MLB history, according to Stats Perform, surpassing Arizona’s Luis Gonzalez, who reached the milestone on May 17, 2001. The Philadelphia star also matched a franchise record with 20 home runs through the team’s first 45 games, originally established by Cy Williams in 1923.
Bryce Harper, hitting in the cleanup spot, collected four hits, including a game-tying single after Pirates closer Gregory Soto issued four straight balls to Schwarber, bringing the Phillies within two runs. Reserve catcher Rafael Marchan came through with a two-run single in the 10th inning. Orion Kerkering earned his first save of the season and third of his professional career.
“There’s so much good that went on today that we were able to respond and fight back,” Schwarber said. “That’s a really positive thing for us.”
The victory improved Philadelphia’s mark to 13-4 since Don Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson as manager, bringing the Phillies within one game of .500 at 22-23. The team’s resurgence has coincided perfectly with Schwarber’s offensive explosion.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Mattingly said. “He’s a different cat from the standpoint of how he does it. … He’s dangerous all the time. Doesn’t matter really lefties or righties, either one.”
Schwarber connected against both types of pitching to spark Philadelphia’s comeback from a six-run hole. He launched a shot off Pittsburgh right-handed starter Braxton Ashcraft beyond the outfield wall in the fifth inning. When the Pirates brought in left-hander Mason Montgomery with a runner on base and two outs in the seventh, the result remained unchanged. Schwarber pounced on a 96 mph fastball that caught too much plate and drove it into the right-center field seats, cutting the deficit to three runs.
Those two blasts gave Schwarber nine home runs across his past eight games. It marks the second occasion in his career he’s accomplished such a feat over an eight-game stretch. Former slugger Albert Belle remains the only other major league player to achieve that level of power production twice in eight-game spans.
“One of the cooler things I’ve seen in baseball,” Harper said. “Just the ways he puts the bat on the ball. Yeah, it been pretty fun to watch.”
For Schwarber, the excitement comes not from watching baseballs disappear into the stands but from what the final score shows when the game ends.
A 10-game losing streak in April led to Thomson’s dismissal despite his popularity. Mattingly — who will miss Saturday’s contest to attend his son’s graduation at Purdue — has brought stability to the clubhouse. The turnaround has been aided by one of baseball’s most talented (and costly) lineups finally delivering on expectations.
Despite his current hot streak, Schwarber remains grounded in his approach. His most crucial plate appearance Friday may have been one where he never swung the bat.
Trailing by three in the ninth inning, Schwarber watched four consecutive sinkers from Soto pass by rather than attempting to force the action. He walked to first base, setting up Harper’s long single off the right-center field wall that tied the game.
“Greg’s got great stuff and he’s got a really nasty sinker in the bigger slider, so it’s just kind of really keying in on what you want,” Schwarber said. “And once I get 3-0, I was happy with the take.”
He felt even better about what followed as the Phillies moved closer to resembling the squad that has reached the postseason in four of the past years. While division-leading Atlanta maintains a substantial advantage in the NL East, Philadelphia’s early-season struggles appear to be behind them, with positive momentum building — something Schwarber values more than any individual statistics.
“Obviously we know it’s not anywhere near complete, right?” Schwarber said, later adding, “It’s been really cool to see the guys go out there and getting their results and us as a team, to be able to kind of get the results that we want.”
