Kyle Schwarber Has a Chance To Break Babe Ruth Record

One of Babe Ruth's remarkable records is in reach for Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.

Aug 23, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates his walk-off home run in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber isn't quite the second coming of Babe Ruth. But the slugger is a damn good player in his own right.

After the Phillies put together a nine-game winning streak and started breathing down the necks of the first-place Atlanta Braves again, they lost two in a row to the Seattle Mariners on Monday and Tuesday. With the team badly needing a win, Schwarber responded on Wednesday with two hits in five at-bats, including a three-run home run in the top of the second inning that broke the game open.

Philadelphia won, 6-0, and Schwarber notched his 40th homer of the season, which leads all of Major League Baseball. He has now hit at least 40 dingers in four of the last five seasons, which has put him in some elite company with men such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and former Phillies star Ryan Howard.

Ruth himself knocked in at least 40 home runs in an amazing 11 different seasons, and, of course, he once held the record for most homers in a season and the most in a career.

What Babe Ruth record is Kyle Schwarber nearing?

Aug 26, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now, Schwarber is flirting with breaking one of Ruth's records, and it's one most baseball fans may not know about.

When the Boston Red Sox made their historically brain-dead move to sell Ruth to the New York Yankees, he went on a tear and became the mythical figure modern fans see him as. In his first five seasons with New York, he had 235 home runs, and he led the majors in that category in four of those five years.

Since Schwarber made his way to the City of Brotherly Love prior to the 2022 campaign, he has recorded 227 homers, which means he's just nine away from breaking that record.

FIRST TO 40! pic.twitter.com/exktAh4sRr

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 26, 2026

The 33-year-old seems to be as prolific as ever. He made his fourth All-Star game this year, and in addition to his 40 home runs, he has 81 runs batted in and an OPS of .890. He's currently 12th in Major League Baseball in RBIs and eighth in OPS. Schwarber also has baseball's eighth-highest slugging percentage this year at .531.

Philadelphia may need him to beat Ruth's record, as it still trails the Braves by 4.5 games in the National League East with a 78-55 record. A season-defining series will begin on Sept. 4 at Citizens Bank Park against their division rivals.

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