Kyle Schwarber had not connected a single hit in eight at-bats during the first two games of the Division Series between the Phillies and Dodgers, but on Wednesday he turned on the afterburners and put maximum power into his swing to hit two key home runs in Philadelphia’s first win.
Rob Thompson’s team arrived at Dodger Stadium against the wall after losing both games at Citizens Bank Park. They scored only three runs in each of the games, so they needed an offensive awakening that came from Schwarber.
The slugger enjoyed himself against the Angels’ pitching, which he punished with three RBIs from two home runs. In doing so, he became the second player in Phillies history to hit two home runs in an elimination playoff game, after Chase Utley, who did so in Game 5 of the 2009 World Series against the Yankees.
Schwarber’s first home run was a huge shot to right field that was lost in the Los Angeles night. The left-handed hitter took advantage of a comfortable fastball in the middle of the zone from Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who upon seeing the contact knew he had been massacred and expressed his frustration on the mound.
Yamamoto’s pitch (96.4 mph four-seam fastball) was a treat for the Phillies’ designated hitter, who quickly got his arms out and sent the ball flying 455 feet from the plate. This was just the eighth home run with an exit velocity of 117+ mph in postseason history during the Statcast Era (since 2008), three of which are owned by Schwarber himself, three by Giancarlo Stanton and two by Shohei Ohtani.
A Thousand Feet
There is a very Latin expression in baseball when a player hits a long ball: “He hit it a thousand feet”, it is often said. That’s what many must have thought with Kyle Schwarber’s first home run on Wednesday against the Dodgers, his fifth at more than 450 feet in his entire postseason career.
His closest pursuer is Freddie Freeman, who has hit two home runs of more than 450 feet in the playoffs. Behind him are 15 other players with at least one hit of these characteristics. Interestingly, if we look at the longest postseason hits (455+ feet), there are no big names such as Aaron Judge, Juan Soto or Shohei Ohtani.
Willson Contreras (Cubs): 491-foot home run vs. Alex Wood (Dodgers) in the 2017 Championship Series.
Kyle Schwarber (Phillies): 488-foot home run vs. Yu Darvish (Padres) in the 2022 Championship Series.
Luis Robert (White Sox): 487 feet vs. Mike Fiers (Athletics) in the 2020 Wild Card Series.
Gary Sanchez (Yankees): 479 feet vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (Red Sox) in the 2018 Division Series.
Kyle Schwarber (Phillies): 461-foot home run vs. Zac Gallen (Diamondbacks) in the 2023 Championship Series.
Freddie Freeman (Braves): two 460-foot home runs, one vs. Carlos Martinez (Cardinals) in the 2019 Division Series, and another vs. Framber Valdez (Astros) in the 2021 World Series
Kyle Schwarber (Cubs): 459-foot home run vs. Matt Harvey (Mets) in the 2015 Championship Series.
Giancarlo Stanton (Yankees): 458-foot home run vs. Tyler Glasnow (Rays) in the 2020 Division Series.
Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves): 455-foot home run vs. Carlos Martinez (Cardinals) in the 2019 Division Series.
Kyle Schwarber (Phillies): 455-foot home run vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers) in the 2025 Division Series.
Kyle Schwarber’s power is impressive. The fact that his name is repeated so many times in such a short list clearly tells us that he is head and shoulders above the rest in pure strength.
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