Wawa Brings Back 'Hoagie-Fest' to Honor Phillies' Schwarber

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber single-handedly brought back Wawa's 'Hoagie-Fest', and subsequently hit a 488-foot bomb. Coincidence?

Author:
Alex Carr
Oct 19, 2022 12:30 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

In what was perhaps the most impressive tear of the 2022 season, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber ran rampant in the month of June. The 29-year-old slammed 12 home runs in 27 games, and slugged at a .680 clip, earning himself the nickname, 'June Schwarber.'

Schwarber's torrid run happened to coincide with Wawa's annual 'Hoagie-Fest,' practically a national holiday among the greater Philadelphia area. Thus, the convenience store giant decided to bring the beloved celebration back to honor the Phillies' ascension to the National League Championship Series. To give their guy, Kyle Schwarber, a bit of a boost, the chain decided to re-dub the celebration, 'Schwarber-Fest.'

Of course, everyone knows what happened next.

Coincidentally, after Wawa made the announcement prior to Tuesday night's 2-0 win over the San Diego Padres, Kyle Schwarber went on to have his best postseason game thus far, going 2-for-3 with a space-bound, 488-foot home run. It was the longest home run in Petco Park history, and the longest of Schwarber's career. The ball came off of the bat at a whopping 119.7 miles-per-hour.

Bryce Harper's reaction says it all.

Is it all a coincidence? Maybe, but all it takes is one guy getting red-hot to power an offense through a series, and Kyle Schwarber certainly has that aura about him right now.

Schwarber-fest is off to a great start, and it might just be the catalyst that propels the slugger to an NLCS MVP award, should he keep with the pace. Schwarber's bat has shown signs of heating across his last three postseason games, and when he gets hot, it's pretty tough to slow him down.