When Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber changed Thursday night's game with one swing, Phillies radio voice Scott Franzke didn't miss his own opportunity for greatness. As soon as Schwarber connected on a 3-1, belt-high fastball from Boston Red Sox reliever Tyler Samaniego, Franzke shifted into his upper vocal register and took Phillies fans for a ride as Schwarber's blast sailed into the stands at Fenway Park for a two-run home run.
It was Schwarber's MLB-leading 18th homer of the season, and it broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning of Thursday's contest. The Phils went on to win the game (and thus the series), improving to a stellar 12-4 under interim manager Don Mattingly.
Schwarber's 417-foot bomb, while riveting to Franzke and Phillies Nation, provided the ultimate buzzkill at Fenway, where Samaniego had entered specifically to face the Phillies' big lefties, Schwarber and Bryce Harper. That didn't matter one bit to Schwarber, who is really starting to heat up.
The 33-year-old has a 1.409 OPS in his last seven games with an astounding seven homers. Schwarber now has five home runs against lefties this year.
Kyle Schwarber breaks the scoreless tie with his MLB-leading 18th home run 💪 pic.twitter.com/I5V9O8u05U
— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2026
Scott Franzke captured electric moment when Kyle Schwarber made Red Sox pay at Fenway Park
Maybe Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy was particularly moved to bring in a lefty based on Schwarber's performance against Ranger Suarez earlier in the game. Schwarber fanned twice against his former teammate, saying after the game that Suarez's cutter is underrated.
But Schwarber didn't have a tough time at all with Samaniego, and it allowed him to connect for a 110-mph blast.
Schwarber, Mattingly, Dombrowski have Phillies back in business
If Franzke sounded like he was in playoff form, maybe it's because he's so enthused about the Phillies' postseason hopes being rejuvenated of late. Things were beginning to look terribly bleak under Rob Thomson, but something has changed since Philly's managerial changing of the guard, and Schwarber's torrid stretch has a lot to do with it.
Schwarber is now on pace to hit 66 home runs this season. Only Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds have hit that amount or more in a single season, and we're well aware of the steroid controversy surrounding all three of those guys. A Schwarber season of that magnitude would be even more special.
What's most surprising about Schwarber's amazing 2026 thus far is that it's following a career year for the slugger that many thought he'd never be able to top. Philadelphia's decision to take care of business and re-sign Schwarber this past offseason has Dave Dombrowski looking once again like a smart man (as does his decision to fire Thomson). The Phillies are so back, and Schwarber's well on his way to MVP candidacy once again.
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