The Philadelphia Phillies knew they would get production out of Kyle Schwarber in some facet this season. Few could have ever guessed that he was gearing up for a fifty home run season and paving his own way for a potential MVP in the National League. While Shohei Ohtani remains spectacular, he'll have legitimate competition for the league's top honor from Schwarber, who'd represent an incredible change of pace in the voting process.
It had been 10 games since his last home run on August 28, the game in which he hit four in a single contest, a feat that had only been accomplished 20 other times in MLB history. Phillies fans and teammates were all patiently waiting for another piece of history.
Schwarber didn't have to wait much longer after he got a 3-1 cutter over the plate and sent it sailing at 437 feet off the back wall in center field above Monty's Angle. The three-run home run at 110.4 mph off the bat put the Phillies up 7-1 and all but sealed the Phillies' victory over the Mets and extended their division lead to nine games, the largest current division lead in MLB.
Phillies star Kyle Schwarber's feat needs to be recognized across baseball when it comes to his MVP consideration
50 home runs is an impressive mark. He became only the 34th player in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs in a season. He also became only the second Phillies player ever to hit 50 or more in a season since first baseman Ryan Howard did it in his 2006 MVP year when he hit 58 (subscription required). It took a little longer than he would have liked to get to 50, but it doesn't take anything away from his exceptional season, with 17 games still to play. He's currently at a .240 batting average, .926 OPS and 50 home runs with 123 RBI.
Ohtani, the Dodgers' two-way star, has become the runaway favorite to win the NL MVP, per Fox Sports, but that public sentiment shouldn't take away from the resume Schwarber has built for himself.
Schwarber has become a beloved figure in Philadelphia, and now he's putting up one of the best offensive seasons a Phillies player has ever seen. Now, the Phillies will just have to worry about keeping him when he hits free agency this winter.
Whether it's the lower batting average, possible roster inflexibility or even his lack of speed holding them back from spending big, the team needs to realize he's one of a kind. As the Phillies' manager Rob Thomson put it postgame, it couldn't have happened to a better guy.