Phillies' Kyle Schwarber leapfrogs Shohei Ohtani with no-doubt HR vs. Reds
Philadelphia Phillies star designated hitter Kyle Schwarber sent one to the moon, as he ripped a towering home run in the eighth inning of Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds on the road at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Schwarber's blast drove in two runs and stretched Philadelphia's lead from a run to three runs in what became a 4-1 victory for his team.
After taking a ball on the first pitch he saw from Reds right-handed reliever Tony Santillan, Schwarber turned on the pitcher's 94 mph four-seam fastball for his 41st home run of the season.
With that tater, Schwarber also broke his tie with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani for second-most home runs in the big leagues, this far in the 2025 MLB regular season. Schwarber entered the new week with 41 home runs, but he's now only three home runs back of season leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners star catcher has 45 home runs to date.
Fans have also been left astonished by Schwarber's latest dinger.
'Kyle Schwarber is going to hit 60 HR and it will be a blast to watch,' a commenter said.
'He just hit ball, no other talent or skill like showhay,' a social media user on X (formerly Twitter) commented.
'Give him the MVP trophy already,' a fan added.
'He knew he was bombing that once Santillan hit the mound,' read another comment.
'The HR race is HEATING UP !' another X user mentioned.
That was also Schwarber's fourth home run in August, as he continues to make a big impact on Philadelphia's offense.
With still plenty of games left to play in the regular season for the Phillies, Schwarber has a big chance of setting a new career high in terms of home runs in a single year. His most in a season remains 47, which he had in the 2023 campaign, his second in Phillies uniform.
The 32-year-old Schwarber has always been a big threat to launch a long ball, and that's been especially clear in 2025. He is on the 100th percentile with a 60.5 hard-hit percentage and 99th percentile with a 94.8 average exit velocity entering Monday, per Baseball Savant.
Related: Phillies' Zach Wheeler addresses shoulder injury, concerning drop in velocity
Related: Phillies call up David Robertson despite 10.13 Triple-A ERA
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