When most baseball fans hear the name Kyle Schwarber, it's more than likely that one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is "monster home runs." That's a fair thought, because anytime Schwarber steps to the plate, his presence alone reeks of an imminent home run threat.
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In Game 2 against the Diamondbacks in the NCLS on Tuesday night, he did just that. Twice. In turn, the 230-pound beast made some truly special history in tying Yankees legend Reggie Jackson with 18 career postseason home runs, the most all time for a left-handed batter. That right there is quite the honor in itself, but doing so in 237 fewer at-bats than Jackson makes the feat absolutely mind-blowing.
Most homers from left side of plate#Postseason history
18 Kyle Schwarber (2 tonight)
18 Reggie Jackson
17 Jim Thome
17 David Ortiz— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) October 18, 2023
The lofty achievement also places Schwarber tied for No. 7 on the all-time postseason home run list with Mickey Mantle, Carlos Correa and Nelson Cruz. But there is plenty of postseason baseball left for the Phillies, who took a 2-0 series lead over the D-Backs.
The likelihood of the slugger crashing the party and moving up the list to tie Albert Pujols — or perhaps surpassing him and joining Derek Jeter at No. 4 — is relatively high. At this point, it might be surprising if Schwarber doesn't have at least another one left in the chamber based on the way he's been going lately.
That NLCS MVP chatter making the rounds is no joke, but the Diamondbacks might have something to say about that as they head back to Arizona looking to regroup for Games 3 and 4.
Regardless, the man is destroying baseballs as if the mere presence of them personally offends him:
Schwarber wants NLCS MVP pic.twitter.com/q58TyfQfR2
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) October 18, 2023
For a career .227 hitter, this is all really something to behold. It seems as if when the lights are brightest and everyone at Citizens Bank Park is expecting a home run, that's exactly what he does.
Kyle Schwarber since April of 2022 (18 months):
• 101 HR
• 211 RBIAbsolutely nuts. pic.twitter.com/hbOGLdCTDH
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) October 18, 2023
And while Schwarber is clearly not a jack-of-all-trades type of hitter, the fact that he hasn't found a home and stayed there — his most recent stint being with the Nationals and Red Sox in 2021 — is perplexing. But maybe it was all for the better, because the widely adored, beloved character that is Schwarber sure as hell seems to fit like a glove in Philadelphia.
