Philadelphia Phillies Slugger Kyle Schwarber Makes Lefty-on-Lefty Franchise History
Kyle Schwarber just became the Philadelphia Phillies' first left-handed hitter to reach base five times in one game, all against left-handed pitchers, since 1958.
The Philadelphia Phillies picked up a clutch win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, and while right fielder Nick Castellanos was the one who came through with the walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber's historic day at the plate was a major reason they pulled it off.
Schwarber opened the afternoon with a leadoff home run, which has become a signature of his over the past few seasons.
The slugger then added a single in the second, a walk in the fourth, another walk in the seventh and another single in the ninth. Whit Merrifield pinch-ran for Schwarber following his final plate appearance, and it was Merrifield who scored the game-winning run on Castellanos' walk-off single.
Schwarber ended the game 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs and an RBI. All five of Schwarber's plate appearances came against lefties as well, which turned his solid performance into a historic one.
As noted by the Phillies' communications department Sunday morning, Schwarber was the Phillies' first left-handed hitter to reach base five-plus times in a game, all against left-handed pitchers in 66 years. Richie Ashburn was the last to achieve the feat, doing so on July 26, 1958, against Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Through 15 games this season, Schwarber is batting .259 with three home runs, six RBI, a .772 OPS and a 0.1 WAR. He boasts a .448 batting average and 1.198 OPS versus lefties, earning 19 of his 24 total bases against southpaws.
Schwarber's career .718 OPS against left-handed pitchers is far outdone by his .872 career OPS against right-handed pitchers, however.
The Phillies are facing off against right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller in Sunday's decisive series finale versus the Pirates. As a result, Schwarber won't get the chance to continue his lefty-on-lefty hot streak until Keller gets the hook, or when Philadelphia plays the Colorado Rockies later this week.
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