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Former Red Sox slugger Kyle Schwarber sets Phillies postseason HR record in three seasons
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Schwarber is fourth all-time in career postseason homers, and has 12 since joining Philadelphia in 2022.
The Red Sox may have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but during that same timeframe, a former slugger of theirs was hard at work making an impact in October.
Kyle Schwarber only played half a season for the Red Sox in 2021 after being acquired at the trade deadline, but Boston probably wishes it had kept the outfielder longer. Schwarber is quietly building a resumé as one of the best playoff hitters of the 21st century, if not MLB history.
The now-Philadelphia Phillies slugger dialed up a leadoff home run on Saturday with major implications on the record books. The long ball marked Schwarber’s 21st postseason homer, fourth all-time behind Manny Ramirez (29), Jose Altuve (27), and Bernie Williams (22). It was also Schwarber’s 12th with the Phillies, a new franchise record.
Unfortunately for Schwarber and Philadelphia, that home run was for naught. The Phillies offense slumped the rest of the way through the game and lost 6-2 to the New York Mets.
Still, Schwarber’s postseason success individually serves as a stark contrast to Boston’s lack thereof in these last three seasons. Schwarber’s Phillies have reached the playoffs in each of his three seasons there. They earned a trip to the World Series in 2022, lost in the NLCS in 2023, and are the No. 2 seed in the National League this season.
Schwarber seemed to add extra juice to his at-bats when it mattered most. He slashed three home runs in the 2022 series, and a whopping five long balls in the 2023 NLCS.
Even though Schwarber was only along for one postseason trip in a Red Sox uniform, he still proved his postseason value, hitting three home runs in the 2021 playoffs for Boston.
The then-Chaim Bloom-led Red Sox did attempt to re-sign Schwarber following the 2021 season, but Bloom stated at the time that his contract got “to a level that didn’t make sense.”
Flash forward to 2024, Schwarber has exhausted three of the four years on his $79 million contract. And it seems to be worth every penny for Philadelphia.
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Colin McCarthy
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