Kyle Schwarber's 30th Homer in 84 Games And Bryce Harper's Chase To 399 Career Bombs Have MLB Buzzing
Holy smokes, you guys! Just when you think you've seen it all, Kyle Schwarber goes and drops an absolute MONSTER. We're talking a game-winning, two-run bomb on Sunday afternoon that not only sealed a 5-4 victory for the Phillies over the Mets at Citi Field, but also rocketed him into some seriously exclusive company. This dude is on fire, and he’s not alone in chasing history!
Schwarber Is Rewriting the Record Books Already
Can we just talk about what Schwarber is doing right now? That seventh-inning blast wasn't just clutch, it was his MLB-leading 30th home run of the season! And get this, he reached that milestone in only 84 team games. Think about that for a second! He just blew past Mike Schmidt, a Phillies legend, who hit his 30th in game number 87 back in 1979. That's insane speed!
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Schwarber himself said 30 is "a cool number that you want to get to," but he's not "truly focus[ing] on" it. Well, maybe he should start peeking at the stats, because he's on pace to smash 59 dingers this season. That would surpass Ryan Howard's franchise record of 58 from 2006. Imagine! A new franchise record for long balls this early in the season? Phillies fans, you gotta be stoked about this.
The Wildest Race to 400 Career Homers You'll Ever See
And then there's Bryce Harper. While Schwarber is tearing up the single-season charts, he and Harper are locked in a friendly, yet unbelievably close, race for 400 career home runs. Harper hit a two-run shot of his own the day before, bringing his career total to 382. Schwarber, with his latest blast, now sits at 370. The craziest part? Both guys are on pace to finish the season with exactly 399 career home runs. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up!
Despite the numbers, Harper jokes that he doesn't "technically see myself as a home run hitter." He says he's just "trying to hit doubles," and sometimes they turn into homers. Schwarber echoed the sentiment, saying there’s "no competition" between them, but admitted it would be "really cool" to see someone of Harper’s "caliber be able to reach 400." He added that his own day reaching that milestone would be "another cool milestone." They might not be focusing on it, but we sure as heck are!
Clutch Hitting Overcomes Pitching Jitters
That Sunday win wasn't exactly smooth sailing, either. Phillies pitchers had some major traffic on the basepaths all day long, as interim manager Don Mattingly put it. Jesús Luzardo cruised through four scoreless innings, but a 30-pitch fifth inning ended his day early. Then Chase Shugart, despite mostly entering games when the Phillies were trailing, came in with a two-run lead in the sixth and coughed up a game-tying two-run homer. They eventually turned it over to Kyle Backhus, and a go-ahead run scored. The Phillies stranded a whopping 14 runners, nine in scoring position!
But that's where Schwarber stepped up. Down by a run in the seventh, he took a 1-2 fastball from Kodai Senga and absolutely obliterated it. That ball left the bat at 108.3 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 408 feet! That's how you bail your team out when things get a little hairy. Mattingly summed it up perfectly: "He's amazing. ... It's good he's on our side."
So, what’s next for these two titans? We're on pins and needles waiting to see who hits 400 first, and if Schwarber can actually pull off that mind-blowing 59-homer season. This is baseball at its best, folks!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.