Phillies' Kyle Schwarber On Pace to Challenge Barry Bonds for Historic Mark

Will Kyle Schwarber be able to keep up his ridiculous start to the season?

May 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) runs out the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies continued their road trip this weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday as part of rivalry weekend in baseball. In a thrilling extra-innings affair, they came away with a win in the series opener. 

Despite things not looking good for much of the game, the Phillies were able to pull off the come-from-behind win and set a tone for the start of the series. Starter Aaron Nola once again struggled in this one, and his performance is going to be a concern for the team going forward. However, despite the offense having their fair share of issues this season, in this one, it was this group that helped them secure the win. 

An 11-run outburst for Philadelphia, including some clutch hits along the way, helped them get the win, and this is a team that has shown an ability to come from behind to win games. 

While there are some issues in the lineup, one spot that they don’t have to worry about is at designated hitter. There isn’t a player in baseball who is hotter than Kyle Schwarber right now, and the slugger was a main reason why they won this game. Now, he is on a historic pace to start the year. 

Schwarber On Pace for Historic Home Run Season

Barry Bonds hits home run | Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With his two home runs on Friday night in a thrilling win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Schwarber is now on pace for 72 home runs this season, which would be just one short of the mark set by Barry Bonds in the 2001 season. 

That year, Bonds was incredible at the plate, and that mark has been one that hasn’t really been challenged since. Even though Aaron Judge was recently able to set an American League home run record, he really never came close to challenging Bonds. 

So far, Schwarber has totaled 20 home runs in 45 games, and his recent performance has been amazing. In his last eight games, he has been able to total nine home runs in what has been a ridiculous stretch. 

The great play from their star slugger has helped result in more wins for the Phillies, and the lineup looks much better when he is performing so well. Now, with 20 home runs in 45 games, it will be interesting to see if he can continue this potentially historic pace. 

Schwarber was the runner-up for the NL MVP last year, and with his hot start, he is going to be right back in the conversation this season.