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Kyle Schwarber gets curtain call from Phillies fans after clutch moment vs. Angels
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- Kyle Schwarber gets curtain call from Phillies fans after clutch moment vs. Angels
The post Kyle Schwarber gets curtain call from Phillies fans after clutch moment vs. Angels appeared first on ClutchPoints .
In front of a roaring Citizens Bank Park crowd on Saturday night, Kyle Schwarber delivered a moment worthy of October. With one swing, the Philadelphia Phillies ' designated hitter turned a tight 4-3 deficit into a commanding 7-4 lead, belting a towering sixth-inning grand slam that flipped the game — and the energy in the ballpark. The 32nd home run of Schwarber's season was more than just clutch; it was historic. The blast was his eighth career grand slam and earned him a curtain call from the Philly faithful, who serenaded him with thunderous "MVP" chants.
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Schwarber's go-ahead grand slam came off Angels reliever José Fermin and helped secure a 9-5 Phillies victory. His latest heroics not only tied him with Shohei Ohtani for second in the National League in home runs, but also continued a red-hot stretch that has seen him power the Phillies through a turbulent week.
The grand slam capped off a pivotal five-run sixth inning, which began with reliever Sam Bachman loading the bases on a single, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk. Johan Rojas plated a run with a sac fly to make it 4-3, and after Trea Turner drew a walk, Schwarber pounced on a 1-1 fastball and sent it deep into the right-center stands.
Kyle Schwarber is making an MVP case as the Phillies take down the Angels
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
This game was also a bounce-back effort for Philadelphia after losing the series opener and teetering on a third straight series defeat. Schwarber homered in his first at-bat after the All-Star break on Friday and was named MVP of the Midsummer Classic earlier in the week after a walk-off blast. His Saturday night slam felt like the exclamation point on what has been arguably the most impactful stretch of his Phillies career.
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Bryce Harper added to the offensive explosion with a two-run homer in the eighth — his third in two games. The former MVP also doubled in the third, bringing his extra-base hit tally to 11 in his last six contests. He's 12-for-his-last-24 and looking like he's locked in for the second half.
However, the game didn't start smoothly for the Phillies. A first-inning baserunning blunder saw both Schwarber and Turner caught in rundowns on a grounder by Harper. Fortunately, Nick Castellanos followed it with an RBI single to give the Phillies a brief 1-0 lead.
Starter Taijuan Walker looked sharp early, tossing three scoreless innings before unraveling in the fourth. The Angels struck for three runs on six hits, including back-to-back solo shots by Taylor Ward and Jo Adell . Walker exited after allowing three runs on nine hits across four innings, his ERA rising to 3.75 in what's become a frustratingly inconsistent season.
The Phillies bullpen held the line, though. Seth Johnson earned his first win of the season despite allowing a solo homer to Yoan Moncada in the sixth that briefly made it 4-2. After the Schwarber slam, Matt Strahm closed it out with a perfect ninth inning.
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His ability to change a game with one swing — and his knack for doing so in high-leverage moments — makes him arguably the heartbeat of this team. As he heads toward free agency, the Phillies may need to open the vault. With his power, leadership, and fan-favorite status, Schwarber is entering "blank check" territory in Philly.
The win moved the Phillies to 55-42 and gave them a 1.5-game lead in the NL East after the Mets lost to the Reds. Ranger Suárez will take the mound in Sunday's rubber match as the Phillies look to win the series and keep the momentum rolling.
Related: Phillies' Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber have hilarious baserunning faux pas
