There’s a tight race going down in the National League that has one former Red Sox slugger battling a Triple Crown contender for the league’s leader in home runs.
Kyle Schwarber, who played 41 games during his tenure with Boston last season. Now with the Philadelphia Phillies, currently leads the N.L. with 34 home runs — one ahead of St. Louis Cardinals’ Paul Goldschmidt. This, however, could play as a crucial spoiler for Goldschmidt who currently sits atop the N.L. in batting average (.339) and RBIs (105) — a convincing run at the Triple Crown award.
This campaign puts Goldschmidt in contention, which hasn’t awarded a player in the N.L. in 85 years, according to Jason Stark of The Athletic.
On Thursday, Goldschmidt went 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs during the Cardinals’ 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. The 12-season veteran helped bridge the home run gap even closer while simultaneously doing right by his batting average and RBI leads.
While Schwarber won’t be contending for the Triple Crown this season, the 29-year-old is flirting with a personal milestone of his own — currently four homers shy of his career-high, 38, which he hit as a member of the Cubs back in 2019.
The veteran of eight seasons, who served as a major key in last season’s deep playoff run with the Red Sox, claimed he “enjoyed” his stint in Boston. During the Major League Baseball All-Star break in July, Schwarber spoke on offseason contract talks with the Red Sox, which evidently lead him to Philadelphia.
