Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber Breaks Home Run Drought With Massive Dinger

Kyle Schwarber had not hit a home run in the 2022 Major League Baseball postseason prior to Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, but when he did Tuesday night, the left fielder made sure to make it a memorable one.

Schwarber was struggling in the postseason, batting 1-for-20 with two RBIs and three walks. But he showed Tuesday why he is key for the Phillies’ potential World Series berth.

Philadelphia and San Diego hoped to continue their respective underdog stories, but it was Philadelphia who got off to a strong start. Bryce Harper put the Phillies on the board with a solo homer off Padres starter Yu Darvish in the fourth inning.

Schwarber doubled Philadelphia’s lead with a no-doubt 488-foot dinger. Yes, the former Boston Red Sox left fielder nearly hit a 500-foot homer.

It was so much of a no-doubter that neither Darvish or right fielder Juan Soto bothered to look back. Harper, who’s homer traveled 368 feet, gave a meme-worthy reaction after he saw his teammate crush the baseball.

Schwarber’s homer had an exit velocity of 119.7 mph, making it the hardest-hit home run in the postseason in the Statcast era, per Phillies Notes. New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton had the previous record with a 118.3 mph exit velocity in the 2020 American League Division Series.

At 488 feet, it was the second-farthest dinger in the Statcast era, behind only former Chicago Cubs teammate Wilson Contreras, who hit a 491-foot homer in the 2017 NLCS.

The Padres showed they are never truly out in a series, but if Schwarber can stay hot, it can only mean a fun NLCS for all MLB fans.