Clutch Home Run by Kyle Schwarber Proves Narrative Has Changed for Phillies

PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Schwarber saw Edmundo Sosa come up with the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth inning.

The Phillies were down 4-0 in the get away game of get away games. They were on life support, their win streak about to be over.

Schwarber wasn't guaranteed a chance in the ninth -- not yet. As he was getting ready for a potential opportunity, he looked over at Trea Turner and did what any normal person would do when a team is facing a large deficit.

"He's gonna hit a grand slam somehow," Schwarber laughed to Turner. "Just jokingly right."

Sosa hit a bases clearing triple, meaning Schwarber had to get in the on-deck circle. If Bryan De La Cruz got a hit, the opportunity would come. Base hit by De La Cruz to tie the game at 4-4, giving Schwarber one more opportunity.

The seeds were planted after the Sosa double. Schwarber could feel the energy of the remaining 42,610 fans that stuck around Citizens Bank Park. He was hoping to give them something to remember.

"You go on deck, and you can feel the energy, you can feel it all," Schwarber said. "You see the fans getting into it. You see the tape from the two-strike slider from De La (Cruz) and they're all (the dugout) is into it. And then bang, big hit, and the energy just kept going form there."

The Phillies have not hit a walk-off home run since June 9, 2023 -- and that was Schwarber against the Dodgers. Schwarber had an opportunity to deliver the winning run again, even if hitting the ball to Ashburn Alley wasn't his intention.

"I'm just thinking of trying to move it on to the next guy," Schwarber said. "Trying to get it to Trea somehow and just try to shrink the zone. I got a sinker up."

Schwarber didn't miss the sinker from Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien, as he belted the 98-mph sinker 459 feet over the batters eye in Ashburn Alley. The Phillies capped an incredible 6-4 comeback victory, a game which they were down 4-0 with two outs in the ninth.

Full of jubilation, full of joy, all Schwarber could do was stare at the titanic blast. He watched the ball go a country mile before flipping his bat to the IBX logo halfway between home plate and first base and tossing his helmet in the air.

Kyle Schwarber. Ball game.

First #Phillies walk off HR since June 9, 2023 — also by Schwarber.

9 in a row. 15 over .500.

Schwarber is on Cloud 9. Watch the bat flip. Watch the celebration. pic.twitter.com/aWDzMmyRZ9
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrPHL) August 23, 2026

Schwarber didn't even see where the ball landed. He called ball game.

"I knew maybe when I hit it and kind of saw the center fielder just kind of stop -- and it was over," Schwarber smiled. "I didn't pay attention after that."

When Schwarber was told the ball went over the top of the batter's eye, he smiled again and said: "Oh that's cool."

Schwarber didn't know where his bat landed either. He was caught in the moment.

"I was ecstatic right?" Schwarber said as he smiled again. "It's just emotion, but I'm not excited for myself. I'm more excited for all of us that were able to accomplish that."

No matter how lifeless the Phillies looked through eight innings, they found a way to win their ninth in a row. They had five hits in the bottom of the ninth, all of them coming with two strikes.

Harper led the inning off with a double, and improved his on-base percentage to .500 for the month. Luis Arraez, playing through a lower body injury for Bryson Stott (right foot contusion and X-rays negative), flied out to left field. Brandon Marsh also flew out to left field.

The Phillies were down to their final strike nine times. They preservered through it all, showcasing how their "newfound" approach to getting on base as led to a run they haven't been on all season.

Season-high nine-game win streak. 16-5 in August, the .762 win percentage is the best in baseball. Three games back of the Braves in the loss column entering the day, after being eight back on August 1.

This is who the Phillies are, giving the city something to believe in their baseball team again.

"I can't really explain it," said manager Don Mattingly. "I always felt this was a club when you played against them it was up-and-down the lineup. It wasn't just power, it was hitter that put good at-bats on you.

"And that's what we're seeing I think as much as anything is good at bats. This is out of the ordinary, but something like this happens. The fact the guys keep fighting is a huge, huge thing."

Schwarber did give those fans that stuck around on a picture perfect late-August afternoon something to remember. His home run capped one of the greatest comebacks in the ballpark's 22-year history, and was one of the most memorable hits in the ballpark's history.

"That's why you love baseball," Schwarber said. "That's why, hopefully, there's gonna be a lot of kids, families out here today -- and you get to talk about that one for a long time.

"The Phillies were down four runs, down to their final out and haven't scored yet. And they get to go home happy. They'll be talking about that one for a while."

If the Phillies do abolish their October demons this city continues to let them know about, they'll certainly look back at August 23rd of this season.

The ninth-inning comeback on the getaway day of get away days before the longest road trip of the season, capped by a gargantuan blast by Schwarber.

This is a day this team will remember for a long time. This is who the Phillies are, and who they want to be.

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