Kyle Schwarber Took His Red-Hot Streak To Another Level On Wednesday

The former Indiana catcher had one of his best career games for the Phillies against the Dodgers.

Aug 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber was sizzling heading into the Phillies’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.

Then, the one-time Indiana University catcher showed everyone how hot he can really get.

In a battle of the two best teams in the National League, Schwarber hit three home runs, knocked in seven runs and was 4-for-4 in the Phillies’ 9-4 victory over the Dodgers.

Kyle Schwarber.

That's it, that's the post.@PALottery x #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/GTT7eZY8tG

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 8, 2024

Schwarber’s 7 RBI-game tied his career-best. Schwarber previously had seven RBI for the Chicago Cubs in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 28, 2019.

It was also Schwarber’s second career three-home run performance. For the Washington Nationals, he hit three home runs against the New York Mets on June 20, 2021.

Wednesday’s home run outburst was the 30th multi-home run game of Schwarber’s career.

Schwarber’s bombs were impactful too. He led off the game with a home run to left field, but the Dodgers would eventually take a 4-1 lead.

In the fifth inning, Schwarber began Philadelphia’s comeback bid with a one-out, two-run double to right field to cut the Phillies’ deficit to 4-3.

In the sixth inning, the Phillies slipped ahead of Dodgers 5-4 when Schwarber provided the hammer blow. He hit a 426-foot home run to deep center, knocking in Nick Castellanos and Johan Rojas to put Philadelphia in front 8-4.

The Dodgers would not recover, but Schwarber wasn’t done. In the ninth inning, he cranked a 408-foot blast to deep center to provide the Phillies’ final run of the night.

The Kyle Schwarber Game#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/GowgobLdk5

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 8, 2024

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Schwarber’s performance was just the fourth in Major League Baseball history in which a player replicated his stat line of three home runs, a double, a walk and 7 RBI. Harold Baines was the last to do it in 1991 for Oakland. George Mitterwald (1974, Cubs) and Hall Of Famer Jimmie Foxx (1932, Philadelphia A’s) were the others.

Wednesday’s performance was just the pinnacle of a hot streak Schwarber has been on. He’s reached base safely in his last 13 games and is 20-for-47 over that stretch, a cool .429 batting average. Schwarber’s power numbers have been prodigious with eight home runs and 18 RBI over that period.

Overall, Schwarber is hitting .260 with 27 home runs and 73 RBI, the most runs driven in among MLB leadoff hitters. He leads the National League in walks with 82.

Schwarber has helped the Phillies put some distance between themselves and the Dodgers for the best record in the National League in this showdown series as the Phillies won the first two games on the West Coast.

Entering Thursday’s games, the Phillies had a 2 ½-game lead over Los Angeles. Philadelphia also clinched the season series, which could prove crucial in a tiebreaking scenario.

Schwarber, who played at Indiana from 2012-14, is one of the most decorated Hoosier baseball alums. He now trails Ted Kluszewski by just six home runs for the all-time lead in home runs hit by a one-time Hoosier. Kluszewski, an Indiana Athletics Hall of Famer, hit 279 home runs from 1947-61. Schwarber has hit 273 since he debuted in 2015.

Schwarber is on-pace to have his third-straight 40-home run season. He hit a career-high 47 in 2023 for the Phillies.

Other Indiana MLB baseball players

Jul 24, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Tim Herrin (29) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

• Tim Herrin: The Cleveland Guardians pitcher has come into his own in 2024. Herrin, who played for the Hoosiers from 2016-18, has a 1.94 ERA in 53 appearances in his second MLB season and has helped the Guardians control the American League Central division for most of the season. His strikeout rate is 8.9 per nine innings.
  
  The Terre Haute, Ind. native pitched 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief on Wednesday in Cleveland’s 5-3 loss to Arizona.

• Tanner Gordon: The starting pitcher, who played at Indiana in 2019, was called up by the Colorado Rockies in July and has made four starts for the Rockies.
  The Champaign, Ill. native had his best outing on Aug. 3 as he allowed just one run over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego.

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