PHILADELPHIA – As Kyle Schwarber’s round-tripper landed in the stands during the seventh frame of a Phillies win Friday night, history had been made.
Schwarber hasn’t had the greatest season when it comes to batting average, hits, or strikeouts but his 35th homer of the year off Cardinal’s reliever Andrew Suarez put him in a rare club. He joins Jim Thome as the only two players in Phillies history to smack 35+ moonshots in each of their first 2 seasons with the team. Thome achieved this feat during the 2003-04 season.
Adding to the record books, his 10 hits in May (seven of which were home runs) caused him to become the seventh player in MLB history and the first since Cody Ross in 2008 to have 70% or more of their hits coming from the long ball in a calendar month. His prowess at the plate is clearly noticed by many but his abysmal .187 and 167 strikeouts show that there’s more room for improvement as playoff time approaches. Even so, he’s still finding productive ways to get on base as his respectable .333 OBP represents.
Schwarber, currently in his ninth year in MLB, has a lifetime average of .226 with 234 homers mixed in there. He’s also a two-time All-Star and World Series champ with the Chicago Cubs.
Phillies Home Stand Continues
The Red Birds and Phightins continue their series tonight with the second game of this three-game set at CBP. First pitch is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. with Dakota Hudson toeing the rubber for St. Louis and Zach Wheeler opposite him for Philly.
In 11 starts this season, Hudson boasts a 5-0 record accompanied by a 3.95 ERA. Wheeler, on the other hand, is 9-7 in 25 starts this year with a 3.70 ERA.
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
