The Philadelphia Phillies swept the San Francisco Giants in Thursday’s doubleheader, marking their first series win since early April and first sweep of the season.
Kyle Schwarber led the charge with a historic performance that put him in some elite company.
The designated hitter went five-for-six across both games with two home runs, two doubles, three walks, and zero strikeouts. That stat line hasn’t been matched since Lou Gehrig did it back in 1935.
Rare Company
According to OptaSTATS, Schwarber’s the first player since the Yankees Hall of Famer to record five-plus hits, three-plus walks, two-plus doubles, two-plus home runs, and no strikeouts in a single day.
Gehrig accomplished the feat on August 26, 1935, against the Chicago White Sox, going six-for-nine with two doubles, two homers, and three walks in his own doubleheader.
Kyle Schwarber of the @Phillies is the first MLB player to have a day with:
5+ hits
3+ walks
2+ doubles
2+ homers
0 strikeouts…since Lou Gehrig on August 26, 1935 (also in a doubleheader).
What makes this performance even more significant is the timing. Schwarber was hitting just .200 entering Thursday’s games – basically flirting with the Mendoza line. His perfect four-for-four showing in Game 2 helped bump his average up to .225.
Power Surge Continues
The five-year, $150 million man now has 11 home runs on the season, putting him fourth in MLB. He’s trailing three players tied at 12: Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, the White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami, and the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.
For a Phillies offense that’s been struggling – they’re 27th in OPS (.678) and batting average (.227) – Schwarber’s breakout couldn’t come at a better time.
The three-time All-Star seems to be finding his groove, and if he can maintain this level of production, it could be the spark Philadelphia’s lineup needs. They hadn’t won a series since that opening set against Colorado from April 1-5, so Thursday’s sweep feels like a potential turning point.
Sometimes it just takes one dominant performance to get things rolling again.
