PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber will learn on Thursday night where exactly he finished in the NL MVP race against fellow finalists Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto.
It will likely be a bit longer before Schwarber — a free agent — commits to where he will play next season.
So, in the meantime, let’s relive five of the best home runs from Schwarber’s historic 56-homer campaign for the Phillies this past season:
What else could have been No. 1?
He started his night with a 450-foot solo shot to the second deck in right field at Citizens Bank Park. He added a towering two-run homer down the right-field line in the third, then went the opposite way for a three-run homer in the fifth.
Schwarber then joined the exclusive four-homer club with another three-run shot in the seventh inning that gave him a franchise-record nine RBIs. He became the fourth Phillie to accomplish the feat, joining Mike Schmidt (April 17, 1976), Chuck Klein (July 10, 1936) and Ed Delahanty (July 13, 1896).
Schwarber came up in the eighth inning with a chance to become the first player in MLB history to go deep five times in a single game — and he was facing Braves infielder Vidal Bruján, who had taken over pitching duties in the seventh. Schwarber, though, flailed at a 57.4 mph pitch right down the middle and skied it for an out on the infield fly rule.
Still, Schwarber provided everyone in attendance with an unforgettable performance.
2) Grand slam … and curtain call
As remarkable as Schwarber was pretty much all season, his home run barrage in mid-July was otherworldly. He hit nine home runs in a 12-game span from July 8-25 — and the All-Star break did absolutely nothing to slow him down.
Schwarber started the second half with a leadoff home run (more on that in a moment), but it was what he did one night later that really made it feel like he was putting together something special in 2025. With the Phillies trailing the Angels by one in the sixth inning, Schwarber sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a go-ahead grand slam en route to a 9-5 victory.
The plate appearance began with “M-V-P” chants as Schwarber walked to the plate, and it ended with a curtain call from the top step of the first-base dugout. It was one of the loudest reactions at CBP in recent memory — and that’s including the postseason.
Though Schwarber’s four-homer night brought his season total to 49 on Aug. 28, it was a bit of a wait for No. 50 — well, by his standards anyway.
Schwarber went 10 games without a homer following his historic night, his longest home run drought of the 2025 season. But he put an end to it — and joined Ryan Howard as the only Phillies in the 50-homer club — with a three-run shot on Sept. 9 against the Mets.
Schwarber became just the 34th player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs in a season. Manager Rob Thomson toasted Schwarber’s milestone moment with a brief speech in the clubhouse following the game.
“Fifty homers in a season,” Thomson said at the time. “You’re the 34th person to hit 50 in the history of the [expletive] game.”
“That’s pretty sweet,” Schwarber said quietly.
“Congratulations,” Thomson continued. “You’ve had a hell of a year.”
4) Starting the second half in style
After putting together not only an incredible first half but a spectacular show at the All-Star Game (again, more on that in a moment), Schwarber could not have scripted a more perfect start to the second half.
With the Philadelphia faithful again escorting Schwarber to the plate with “M-V-P” chants, he went deep on his first swing of the second half against the Angels.
It was both a fitting start and a sign of things to come in the second half. Schwarber, who hit 30 homers in 96 games in the first half, went on to hit 26 home runs in just 66 games following the break.
5) All-Star Game swing-off home runs
Though none of these counted toward Schwarber’s 56-homer season, we can’t ignore the show he put on at the All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Tied at 6-6 through nine innings, the Midsummer Classic went to a first-of-its-kind swing-off. The National League team selected Schwarber as one of its three hitters — and that proved to be a wise decision.
Schwarber went 3-for-3 in the swing-off, smashing three home runs on as many swings. His heroics not only lifted the NL to victory, but also earned Schwarber the Ted Williams All-Star Game MVP Award.
