Kyle Schwarber is making one thing very clear right now: if you give him a chance, he might make you pay for it.
The Philadelphia Phillies slugger continued his ridiculous home-run run Monday night, launching his 43rd homer of the season to give Philadelphia a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
And here’s where it gets crazy.
That was Schwarber’s third consecutive game with a home run.
He didn’t just hit it in a comfortable blowout, either. The Phillies and Braves were locked in a scoreless battle until Schwarber stepped up in the eighth inning and sent a ball over the right-field wall.
One swing.
One run.
Game over.
Schwarber is leading MLB in home runs
With 43 home runs, Schwarber is sitting at the top of the MLB home-run leaderboard.
And he’s doing it at a time when every game matters for Philadelphia.
The Phillies entered Monday’s game trailing Atlanta in the NL East, making every win against their division rival especially valuable. Philadelphia ultimately split the four-game series with the Braves, but Schwarber’s bat once again provided the difference.
That’s becoming a familiar story.
When the Phillies need a big swing, Schwarber has shown he can provide it.
And now he’s chasing history
There’s another interesting part to this.
According to MLB, Schwarber’s latest homer was the fifth time in his career that one of his home runs was the only run scored in a game.
That puts him level with baseball legend Ted Williams for the most such games in MLB history.
That’s not a bad name to be sharing a record with.
Schwarber has also continued to build his reputation as one of baseball’s most dangerous postseason power hitters. The Phillies list him as their franchise leader in postseason home runs, with 14.
But can he keep this up?
That’s the big question.
Three straight games with a homer is impressive.
Forty-three home runs in a season is even more impressive.
But the Phillies aren’t simply chasing individual numbers. They’re trying to close the gap in the NL East and position themselves for another deep postseason run.
And if Schwarber keeps swinging like this, Philadelphia suddenly looks a whole lot more dangerous.
The scary part for opposing pitchers?
He’s showing no signs of slowing down.
So now the question is simple:
Is anybody stopping Kyle Schwarber — or are we watching the beginning of another monster finish to the season?
