Phillies' Kyle Schwarber ties 1949 Stan Musial with eye-popping HR vs. Dodgers

The essence of Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies' everyman slugger with an empathetic spirit - The Athletic

Kyle Schwarber is the gift that keeps on giving for the Philadelphia Phillies as they managed to clinch the NL East with a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday in extra innings. The Phillies slugger did go deep in the first inning, going yard off of an 86-mph slider from Dodgers opener Anthony Banda, giving Schwarber his 52nd home run of the year en route to Philly’s 90th win of the year in 151 contests.

Schwarber has done nothing but rake ever since he put on the Phillies uniform, and that has continued in 2025 with a banner season that keeps on getting better. In fact, Schwarber does not discriminate in terms of which pitcher he decides to hit home runs off of. 22 of his 52 home runs on the year have come off of southpaws — putting him in rarefied air in the process.

As pointed out by Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Schwarber became just the third lefty hitter in MLB history to hit 22 home runs against same-sided pitchers in a single season, joining Matt Olson (2021) and Stan Musial (1949) in that very exclusive club. That 22 is an MLB-best, and with 11 games to go, Schwarber has plenty of time to pad his stats — although the Phillies’ clinching of the NL East crown could lead to more rest days for the 32-year-old slugger.

Schwarber doesn’t possess the typical lefty against lefty splits, making him that much more dangerous of a weapon at the plate. It’s incredible how much the Phillies slugger has developed his game against southpaws. Entering play on Monday, he had an OPS of .957 against lefties against an OPS of .929 against righties. His previous career-best OPS against lefties over a full season was .898, which he recorded last year.

There simply is no stopping the man who seems to just be getting better with age.

Kyle Schwarber, Phillies ready to do damage in the playoffs

Phillies' Kyle Schwarber ties 1949 Stan Musial with eye-popping HR vs. Dodgers — © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Phillies had some nervous moments in their 6-5 win over the Dodgers on Monday. But being able to go toe to toe with the reigning World Series champion and coming out on top in extra innings even after they let them back in the game in the bottom of the ninth speaks volumes to how ready they are to do their best when it matters the most.

It’s not just Schwarber who’s producing for the Phillies; Bryce Harper did hit a home run and so did nine-hole hitter Weston Watson, while JT Realmuto drove in the eventual game-winning run on the top of the 10th inning when he hit a sacrifice fly.