Kyle Schwarber continues Phillies' HR binge with two long balls

Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber reacts after hitting a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Kyle Schwarber continues Phillies' home run binge with two long balls

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 10/17/23

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber was not having a great start to the 2023 postseason when the National League Championship series began.

The good news for the Phillies — and bad news for the Arizona Diamondbacks — is that he has seemingly busted out of that slump with home runs in consecutive games to open the NLCS.

After contributing to Philadelphia's 5-3 Game 1 win on Monday, he followed that up on Tuesday by clubbing two more home runs against Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly.

His first came in the bottom of the third inning when he ripped a line drive that barely cleared the top of the right field wall.

BYE BYE BALL pic.twitter.com/o1FmXsTYY5
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 18, 2023

Just a couple of innings later, he added to the Phillies' lead by hitting an absolute moon shot deep into the Philadelphia night.

THAT BALL IS SO GONE pic.twitter.com/KnoB3f2VNw
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 18, 2023

Schwarber is one of the most fascinating players in baseball right now. He does not defend or run well. He hits below .200 and is prone to strikeouts. But he is also one of the most feared power hitters in baseball, and despite his flaws with hitting for average and putting the ball in play, he still managed to finish the regular season with an OPS over .800 thanks to his 47 home runs (second in the league) and ability to draw walks.

The Phillies as a team have also been completely hammering the ball in the playoffs. Along with Trea Turner's home run on Tuesday, Schwarber's two home runs give the Phillies 19 in the playoffs. Tuesday is only their eighth game of the postseason.

The overwhelming majority of them have been solo home runs. You might be able to win by allowing the occasional solo home run, but when the other team is hitting that many of them, it does not really matter if anybody is on base.

More must-reads: