Red Sox See Why Kyle Schwarber ‘Enjoyed Hitting’ At Fenway Park

BOSTON — Kyle Schwarber only spent a few months with the Boston Red Sox in 2021. That didn’t stop him from finding a comfortable environment to hit.

“I enjoyed hitting here,” Schwarber said before Tuesday’s game. “I enjoyed the aesthetics. I enjoyed the history.”

“Enjoyed” might be an understatement, especially after Schwarber picked up where he left off from his Fenway Park playing days in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox.

Schwarber received some applause as he stepped into the left-handed batter’s box in the first inning for the first time at Fenway Park since Game 5 of the 2021 American League Championship Series. He wasted no time once he dug in, lifting the first pitch of the night from starter Kutter Crawford over the Red Sox bullpen for a leadoff home run, the 37th of his career.

Crawford responded by peppering the slugger with splitters for a strikeout in his next at-bat. The third time around, Schwarber got another splitter and turned it around for his second long ball of the night. The solo shots from the left-handed hitter marked the only two earned runs Crawford allowed in six innings with eight strikeouts.

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“Professional hitter,” Crawford said after the game. “He takes the mental notes and obviously does his homework between at-bats on what I was doing to attack him. Obviously, he ambushed the first pitch. Put a good swing on it and didn’t miss it. Can’t do a whole lot about that.”

Crawford continued: “I got him the second at-bat with the splitter. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do that third at-bat. I threw a 1-0 splitter and he didn’t miss it. That’s mental notes for me on how he approaches at-bats. It was a learning moment for me. Two good swings on those balls.”

Schwarber drove the Phillies to victory over the same team he nearly reached the World Series trip in 2021. While his time in Boston was short, Schwarber more than made his impact on the Red Sox.

The 31-year-old turned a positive reflection of his Red Sox tenure into a power-driven night of production to keep the Phillies on pace as one of the best teams in baseball.