Aug 28, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a home run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
When Kyle Schwarber strode to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning, the crowd was already on it's feet in appreciation.
Schwarber didn't particularly notice, because he had one thing on his mind.
"I stink against position players," he said.
The Phillies were ahead of the Atlanta Braves 19-4. Not wanting to burn any of his relievers in a lost cause, Braves manager Brian Snitker handed the pitching duties to starting shortstop Vidal Brujan.
The reason the Phillies were ahead of the Braves by 15 runs was because of the team tying a franchise record with seven home runs in the game.
Schwarber was responsible for four of them.
He became just the 21st player in Major League history, and fourth Phillie, to hit four homers in a game, but this at bat against Brujan was something far more rare.
In the long history of the sport, Schwarber was about to become only the third player to ever have a chance at hitting a fifth home run in a game.
Kyle Schwarber. Four home runs. History.
📸: @GraceDelPizzo pic.twitter.com/nlOBXmAf58
(Note: play-by-play box scores are not available for the two instances of four-homer games prior to 1901),
In 1932, New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig hit four home runs and then had one more chance at a fifth homer against the Athletics at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Gehrig would hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
In 2002, Chicago White Sox outfielder Mike Cameron stepped to the plate against Seattle at New Comiskey Park, and flew out to right.
Then came Thursday.
"I shouldn't have even asked the question," Schwarber said. "I was in the [batting] cage and I was like, 'How many guys have hit five?' And no one said anything. I was like, 'Oh, OK. That answers the question.'
"I got a mental block somewhere in my head that I'm not very good against a position player, but it's just, go up there and all you're trying to do is get a good pitch."
Brujan threw him a 57 mph slider.
"I got the pitch down the middle and just popped it up," Schwarber said.
He hit it to shallow left field where Jurickson Profar caught it to end the chance of Schwarber being one-of-one.
As he walked off the field, the crowd let him know how they felt about his feat which is one of the most rare in the sport.
"It was exciting," he said. "It was a great atmosphere. The fans were into it."
And Schwarber tipped his helmet to the crowd as a thank you for the applause.
After the game, as if he hadn't already done enough, Schwarber finished talking to the media and then returned to the field to make his acting debut and appear in an episode of ABC's Abbott Elementary.
If four homers tonight wasn’t enough, it looks like Kyle Schwarber might be making a cameo in Abbott Elementary 👀 pic.twitter.com/f8aGSbNCii
Is there anything the guy can't do?
Back to baseball...
Schwarber set a career high in home runs with 49. He needs one more to become just the second Phillie to hit 50 in a season. He is also nine away from tying Ryan Howard's franchise record.
Kyle Schwarber is nine home runs away from Ryan Howard’s single-season Phillies record of 58 home runs. Is that on his radar at all?
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/is5JvYy5n9
He also set a franchise record for RBIs in a game with nine. He has a career-best 119 RBIs this season.
And he keeps adding on to everything.
Aaron Nola on Kyle Schwarber: “I don’t know what else to say … I mean, the guy is having a year for the ages.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/SUoPllgwzR
"I've never seen a four-homer game in person, so that was amazing," said Aaron Nola, who picked up his third win in the contest. "The guy's awesome. I don't know what else to say. I mean, the guy's having a year for the ages. It's awesome to watch. He's such a hard worker, a great teammate, a great guy, and for him to do something like that, especially at home, is special."
