PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber in Philadelphia’s 19-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night to become the fourth Phillies player and 21st major leaguer to accomplish the feat.
Schwarber was 4 for 6 with a Phillies-record nine RBIs. He took the outright National League homer lead with 49 and moved within one of Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for the major league lead. Schwarber leads the majors with 119 RBIs.
Mike Schmidt was the last Philadelphia player to hit four homers in a game, doing at the Chicago Cubs in April 1976. Schwarber had the third four-homer game of the season, following Eugenio Suárez and Nick Kurtz.
The Philadelphia star started the power surge with a solo shot in the first off Cal Quantrill (4-12), sending a 2-1, curveball into the seats in right field. Schwarber hit a flyout to center in the second.
After Quantrill was lifted with one out and two runners on base in the fourth, Schwarber greeted lefty Austin Cox by sending a 3-2 curveball over the wall in right for his fourth multi-homer game of the season.
With “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants ringing down from Phillies fans in the fifth, Schwarber launched a three-run, opposite-field drive off Cox to put Philadelphia ahead 15-3. In the seventh, Schwarber hit a three-run shot to right off Wander Suero to make it 18-4.
Schwarber popped out in the eighth to short left field with third baseman Vidal Bruján on the mound.
After Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola (3-7) labored through a three-run, 37-pitch first inning, Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Max Kepler homered in the bottom of the inning. Bryce Harper also went deep for Philadelphia, which had 20 hits.
Key moment
After Nola’s shaky first inning, Schwarber, batting second, brought the Phillies to life with his one-out solo shot.
Key stat
Schwarber’s four homers.
Up next
Phillies LHP Ranger Suárez (10-6, 3.07) was set to face Atlanta RHP Bryce Elder (5-9, 6.12) on Friday night.
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