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Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber Hits Another History-Making Leadoff Home Run

Kyle Schwarber hit the 46th game-opening, leadoff home run of his career on Saturday, vaulting the Philadelphia Phillies slugger into the all-time top 10.

Sam Connon

Sep 21, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a home run during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
Sep 21, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a home run during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
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Earlier this month, Kyle Schwarber broke MLB's single-season leadoff home run record.

But just because he secured that title didn't mean he was done making history.

The Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter opened up Saturday's game against the New York Mets with yet another leadoff homer – his 15th of the year. He finished the contest 1-for-4 as the Phillies went on to lose 6-3.

Schwarber has now belted 46 home runs to lead off a game in his career, which is tied for eighth-most in MLB history, per TSN's StatsCentre.

Rickey Henderson owns the record with 81, followed by George Springer with 60. Alonso Soriano, Craig Biggio, Mookie Betts, Ian Kinsler and Curtis Granderson are the next players above Schwarber, while Jimmy Rollins is alongside him in eighth place.

Schwarber is batting .251 with 36 home runs, 99 RBI, an .856 OPS and a 3.6 WAR this season. The 21-year-old also leads the National League with 102 walks.

Dating back to his days with the Chicago Cubs, Schwarber has long been one of baseball's most explosive power hitters. His 259 home runs since 2017 are the most by any NL player in that span, and that doesn't even include his seven homers with the Boston Red Sox or his 20 career playoff bombs.

Schwarber is a career .230 hitter with an .835 OPS. He averages 41 home runs, 93 RBI and a 2.2 WAR per 162 games.

The two-time All-Star has been a staple atop the Phillies' lineup ever since he joined the club as a free agent in 2022. Philadelphia went to the World Series in Schwarber's first year in town, then made it to Game 7 of the NLCS in year two.

The Phillies own the best record in the NL at 92-63 this season, meaning there will once again be high hopes for Schwarber and his teammates once October rolls around. If they can best the Mets at 7:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, they will secure the NL East crown for the first time since 2011.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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