In the playoffs, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies made history by hitting his 21st postseason home run, surpassing retired Yankees star Derek Jeter and claiming the fourth spot all-time. Unfortunately for the Phillies, their bullpen faltered in a 6-2 loss to the New York Mets, marking the first game of the best-of-five National League Division Series.
Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga made his postseason debut for the Mets and faced Schwarber in the second inning. With the count at one ball and one strike, Senga threw a 95 mph fastball, which Schwarber launched into the right-center field stands for a 425-foot homer, putting the Phillies in an early deficit. The Mets exploded for five runs in the eighth inning, taking advantage of Philadelphia’s shaky relief pitching, which ultimately relieved Senga from the loss consideration.
Schwarber has had quite the postseason career, making the playoffs in nine of his ten seasons. Today marked his 19th series appearance and 66th game overall. After hitting a home run in his first at-bat, Schwarber broke the tie with Jeter for fourth place on the all-time postseason home run list, with Jeter now in fifth.
Making his postseason debut in 2015 with the Chicago Cubs, Schwarber knocked a dinger in his second at-bat during a Wild Card game against the Pirates, solidifying his status as a postseason regular. He now holds the record for the most home runs by a left-handed hitter in postseason history and also has the most first-inning home runs in playoff history.
Today, the Phillies played in front of a packed crowd of 45,751 fans at home. Schwarber’s early homer sent the crowd into a frenzy, and their ace Zack Wheeler dominated, allowing only one hit over seven innings while striking out nine. The atmosphere was electric as fans anticipated a victory.
However, the game took a dramatic turn in the eighth inning when Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and Orion Kerkering were all hit hard, allowing five runs and changing the tone from cheers to loud boos, overshadowing Schwarber’s historic moment.
Retired Red Sox great Manny Ramirez holds the record for the most postseason home runs with 29, while Jose Altuve of the Astros follows with 27. Former Yankees star Bernie Williams is in third place with 22 homers.
