Ex-Red Sox Kyle Schwarber crushes clutch home run in Phillies' playoff win
Watch: Ex-Red Sox Kyle Schwarber hits massive clutch HR for Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Kyle Schwarber hasn't exactly hit for average this postseason. But he's made his hits count.
That was the case Tuesday night in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, where Schwarber launched an absolute moonshot in the sixth inning to help power the Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-0 win over the San Diego Padres.
Schwarber's 488-foot blast was the longest in Petco Park history in the Statcast era (since 2015) and the second-longest home run of the postseason in that span.
Kyle Schwarber's home run went an estimated 488 feet per Statcast, the longest home run in Petco Park during the Statcast era and the second-longest postseason homer. Only Willson Contreras's HR against Alex Wood in Game 4 of the 2017 NLCS went further (491). pic.twitter.com/RuEo2kN8Qj
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 19, 2022
The ball traveled an estimated 119.7 mph off Schwarber's bat, which is ... fast.
Home runs in the pitch-tracking era, since 2008, of at least 119.7 mph:
Giarcarlo Stanton: 121.7 mph, Aug. 9, 2018
Giancarlo Stanton: 121.3 mph, July 25, 2020
Aaron Judge: 121.1 mph, June 10, 2017
Giancarlo Stanton: 119.8 mph, June 11, 2022
Kyle Schwarber: 119.7 mph, tonight— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 19, 2022
The former Boston Red Sox slugger had been mired in a huge slump entering Tuesday, with just one hit in 27 postseason at-bats. But as Red Sox fans found out during the 2021 playoffs, Schwarber has a knack for delivering in clutch situations: He now has four home runs and nine RBIs since the beginning of the 2021 postseason.
If it pained Boston fans to watch Schwarber join the Phillies in free agency last winter, it's likely difficult watching him contribute to another World Series contender. Perhaps the Red Sox will make a move for a similarly prolific slugger this offseason.