Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Kyle Schwarber leads Phillies to Game 1 win over Nationals

Kyle Schwarber had a big Game 1 today against the Nationals. (Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 8, Nationals 4

While he represented the team in the 2021 All-Star game, Kyle Schwarber has otherwise been a Washington Nationals killer during his nine-year, big-league career. Before today, he had 182 career plate appearances against Washington with 16 home runs and a 1.123 OPS.

That didn’t change in Game 1 of the Philadelphia Phillies doubleheader Tuesday.

Schwarber, now in this second season with the Phillies, hasn’t put up the kind of overall numbers we’ve come to expect from the veteran slugger. Through his first 501 plate appearances, the left-handed-hitting slugger hit 28 home runs, but also had a .182 batting average and .743 OPS. For reference, his OPS last season was .827.

Despite some of his struggles, Schwarber has gotten hot at times this year. And it looks like he could be getting hot once again. After going 3-for-4 with a homer in Sunday’s win, Schwarber went yard twice in the first of two games between the Nationals and Phillies today at Citizens Bank Park.

With the Phillies down 3-0 in the bottom of the third, Schwarber crushed his 29th home run of the year to bring his team within a run:

He then came to the plate an inning later with the game tied at three and a pair of runners on the bases. Schwarber didn’t work the count this time, though, as he drove a 1-0 pitch 447 feet from home plate to break the tie — his 30th homer of the year:

The 30-year-old is now the first Phillies player to hit 30-plus home runs in consecutive seasons since Ryan Howard did so ever year from 2006 to 2011.

Schwarber’s pair of long balls weren’t the only ones the Phillies hit this afternoon. Alec Bohm went back-to-back with the veteran to tie the game in the third:

And then Jake Cave extended the Phillies lead to five in the home half of the sixth with a 428-foot shot to center field:

As all of that was going on, Zack Wheeler worked his way through a tough six innings of work on the mound. The veteran right-hander was hit hard as 11 of the balls put into play against him came off the bat with exit velocities of at least 95 miles-per-hour.

But after giving up three runs on a pair of home runs through three innings, Wheeler hunkered down and didn’t allow another run over the next three innings. Altogether, he gave up three runs on seven hits while striking out six hitters and walking none. Wheeler’s post-All-Star break ERA is now 2.76 across five starts.

It will be a very quick turnaround for the Nats and Phils as they are set to begin their second game of today’s doubleheader about 30 minutes from now.

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