Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber continues postseason dominance

It took three pitches for Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber to make his presence felt in the postseason.

He crushed a 96 mph fastball from Kodai Senga, sending it to the second deck in right field for a leadoff home run. While that was the only run in the bottom of the first, the Phillies have to hope it sets the tone for the rest of the series.

Schwarber has been a fearsome slugger during the playoffs. He posted a .245/.375/.557 batting line in 259 postseason plate appearances entering Saturday, slugging 20 homers. He made a mark during the 2023 NLCS, belting five homers, including the fifth-longest home run of the Statcast era , as the Phillies fell to the Diamondbacks in seven games.

Schwarber's first-inning blast also moved him up the playoff leaderboard . He had entered the playoffs tied with Derek Jeter for the fourth most playoff home runs (20) in major league history. Schwarber now only trails former Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams (22), Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) and former Red Sox and Guardians outfielder Manny Ramirez (29) for the most home runs in postseason history.

Moving up the leaderboard will not be enough for the Phillies. The Phillies had the second-best record in the National League, posting a 95-67 record en route to their first NL East title since 2011. Schwarber, who posted a .248/.366/.485 batting line with 38 homers and an NL-leading 106 walks over 692 plate appearances in 2024, is one of several stars the Phillies are counting on to help bring home their first World Series crown since 2008.

Schwarber has already made his presence felt for the Phillies. His first plate appearance in the 2024 playoffs could be the start of another impressive run.