Kyle Schwarber slugs milestone home run, pitching strong in Phillies' first win
By Matt Rappa
The first Philadelphia Phillies win of the 2023 season came several days after many hoped, but the club still put all negative thoughts aside and defeated the New York Yankees, 4-1, Tuesday evening.
Filling in the rotation for injured starting pitcher Ranger Suárez, fellow left-hander Matt Strahm put together four strong innings — allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out three of his 14 batters faced, including Gleyber Torres, Kyle Higashioka, and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge.
The Phillies' bats gave Strahm run support early, with Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh each homering off Yankees starter Domingo Germán. For Schwarber, it was his milestone 200th career blast and his 47th as a Phillie. The home run also gave the Phillies their first lead since the fourth inning of Opening Day.
Schwarbs took number 200 for a ride #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/3AtbRs7EyA
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 4, 2023
Manager Rob Thomson's squad doubled its 2-0 lead in the fifth when Trea Turner and Schwarber each were clutch with two-out RBI singles. The score of the game would remain 4-0 in favor of the Phillies until the ninth when Craig Kimbrel allowed a one-out solo home run to DJ LeMahieu.
The Yankees were unable to complete a comeback, however, yielding the Phillies' long-awaited first win of the 2023 season. The victory marked the first Phillies win at Yankee Stadium since June 2015.
Considering the club was the first team to start 0-4 after making the World Series in the previous season since the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985-86, the start to the season surely has been disappointing. But their win on Tuesday is a step in the right direction.
Next, right-handed aces Aaron Nola and Gerrit Cole will square off in the series finale matinee on Wednesday. While Cole tossed six scoreless innings en route to a 5-0 Opening Day win against the Gabe Kapler-led San Francisco Giants, Nola yielded five runs in just 3/2 innings opposite the Texas Rangers, leading to a no-decision and overall 11-7 team defeat. Hopefully, Nola is poised for a bounce-back performance.