Kyle Schwarber’s performance on Thursday night will be discussed for years to come.
So it’s understandable that Schwarber’s four-home run outburst a 19-4 win over the Braves was still the talk of the Phillies clubhouse on Friday afternoon.
“Incredible,” Jesús Luzardo said of Schwarber becoming the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game. “I’ve never seen that. It was one of a kind. He’s such a good dude that I think everyone was on the top step rooting for him.”
Schwarber missed the opportunity to hit a fifth home run in the eighth inning, flying out to shallow left field with Braves infielder Vidal Brujan on the mound.
“Even when he got out he handled it so well,” Luzardo said. “He was able to laugh about it. He’s such a good sport so it’s easy to root for him when things are going good like that. Last night was one for the history books.”
Schwarber will take aim at more history on Friday.
The Phillies’ record for most home runs in a two-game span is five, set by Mike Schmidt in 1976. Schmidt hit four home runs against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 17th of that season then added another homer the following day.
Schwarber Stays Hot
One day after clubbing four home runs, Schwarber added a golf championship to his resume.
The Phillies held a closest to the pin competition before batting practice on Friday to determine the draft order for their fantasy football league.
A group of players that included Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Jesus Luzardo and Harrison Bader hit pitching wedges from home plate to a makeshift flag in center field.
The winner?
‘Who do you think?” Bader asked afterwards.
That would be Schwarber, who put his wedge within 10 feet of the flag.
“He had to do it after his big night,” Bader said with a smile.
“I’m going to ask him to buy me a lottery ticket,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson joked. “He’s hot.”
The expectation in the clubhouse is that Schwarber – a Bengals fan who grew up in the Cincinnati suburbs – will take wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase with the first pick.
Outfield Shuffle
Deciding the Phillies’ starting outfield on a daily basis is a delicate balance.
“The challenge is really trying to figure it out,” Thomson said before Friday’s game. “Just really trying to figure out what the rotation is, matchup history, how hot a guy is at the time, (batting) splits, putting all those things together and trying to figure out who the three guys are in the lineup that day. It’s difficult.”
So far the Phillies manager is pressing all the right buttons.
Thomson gave Max Kepler the start in right field on Thursday and Kepler responded with a two-run home run in the first inning. Kepler is hitting .342 with two home runs, six RBI and a .912 OPS in his last 10 games.
Nick Castellanos will be in right field Friday while Kepler moves to left field and Brandon Marsh starts in center field. Castellanos is 4-for-8 with four home runs in his career against Braves starter Bryce Elder.
Harrison Bader is the odd man out Friday despite collecting four hits on Thursday night. Bader is hitting .538 with five extra base hits in his last seven games.
“It was just basically the numbers Nick (Castellanos) has against their starter,” Thomson said when asked why Bader isn’t in Friday’s lineup. “It was a tough call, to tell you the truth. Bader has played the last six in a row and we have a long stretch (of games) ahead. He could probably use the day off.”
On the Hill
Reigning NL Player of the Week Ranger Suarez takes the mound for the second game of this four-game set against the Braves.
Suarez is 2-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last two starts with 21 strikeouts and zero walks. He’s had success against Atlanta, allowing just one earned run in 13 innings (0.69 ERA) in two starts against the Braves this season.
Meanwhile Elder has struggled throughout the 2025 season. His 6.12 ERA ranks 107th out of 109 MLB pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched this year.
Elder allowed nine earned runs in just two innings against the Phillies on June 27th. He surrendered three home runs in that game, a 13-0 Phillies win.
