Kyle Schwarber’s 45th homer once again surpasses Shohei Ohtani; Phillies sweep Mariners and shatter team records

The Philadelphia Phillies completed a sweep against the Seattle Mariners at home today with an 11-2 victory, adding a legendary chapter to this series. Besides Kyle Schwarber hitting his 45th home run of the season—overtaking Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to become the sole National League home run leader—the team also set numerous remarkable records.

In this game, the Phillies displayed dominance both offensively and on the mound. Alongside Schwarber’s 45th homer and Max Kepler’s 13th, the team amassed a total of 20 hits. Every player with at-bats contributed at least one hit. Starting left-hander Jesús Luzardo allowed only 3 hits and 1 run over 6 innings, striking out 12 batters. Combined with the bullpen, they limited the opposition to 2 runs, securing Luzardo’s 12th win of the season.

In fact, this game can be seen as a microcosm of the entire series. According to MLB’s official data, the Phillies accumulated 48 hits over the three games, ranking as the sixth-highest in team history for a series—just shy of the 50 hits recorded against the Cubs in 1999. Additionally, the Phillies posted the season-high 21 hits in the series opener, nearly matched that with 20 today, and lead the league with 54 homers since the All-Star break.

The team’s hot streak stems from outstanding individual performances. Although ace Zack Wheeler missed the series due to a right shoulder blood clot, the three starting left-handers in the rotation delivered dominant outings. Ranger Suárez, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo struck out 10, 12, and 12 batters respectively—marking the first time since 1893 that the Phillies have had three consecutive starters with double-digit strikeouts. The last team to achieve this was the Padres in 2022. The series total of 34 strikeouts is the highest for the Phillies in a series since the 1900s, and combined with 12 bullpen strikeouts, the 46 total strikeouts set a new team record for a series.

Regarding the race for the National League home run crown, Schwarber’s 45th homer today puts him ahead of Ohtani’s 44 homers, which Ohtani tied just yesterday. In this game, Schwarber went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs, bringing his season total to 109 RBIs—surpassing last year’s record of 104—and giving him a chance to chase his personal best of 47 homers in a season, as well as challenge the franchise record of 58 home runs held by Ryan Howard.