Kyle Schwarber might owe his new teammate Harrison Bader an apology.
Bader appeared to be the star of the night, as he broke the 3-3 deadlock with a pivotal three-run homer in the sixth inning — marking his first hit in a Phillies uniform.
However, later in the same inning, Schwarber hit his second home run of the night, which was also his 40th of the season, overshadowing Bader's debut homer. Coincidentally, Schwarber's homer was a grand slam, capping off an impressive eight-run inning for the team, leading to a 13-3 victory over the Orioles at Citizens Bank Park.
Schwarber became the fastest player in Phillies history to reach 40 home runs, accomplishing this feat in the team's 112th game. Ryan Howard set the franchise record with 58 home runs in 2006, hitting his 40th in the 114th game of that season, meaning Schwarber beat him by two games.
Howard's 2006 season remains the only one in franchise history with 50 home runs. Schwarber seems to be on track to join this elite group and is poised to challenge Howard's single-season record.
After hitting his third multi-homer game of the season, Schwarber is currently on pace to hit 57 home runs this season — just one shy of Howard's record.
This isn't the only competition heating up due to the "Schwarbomb."
Just before Schwarber's grand slam, chants of "MVP" echoed throughout Citizens Bank Park. As he stepped to the plate in the eighth inning, the "MVP" shouts grew louder, and he followed it up with a single, rounding off his impressive night with three hits and six RBIs.
His candidacy for MVP is becoming increasingly convincing. Schwarber's 40 home runs lead the National League, two ahead of the strongest MVP contender Shohei Ohtani, and just two behind the major league home run leader Cal Raleigh.
Speaking of home runs, the Phillies collectively hit a season-high six home runs in this game. In addition to Schwarber's two and Bader's first as a Phillie, Bryce Harper hit a solo shot in the first inning, while Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson hit back-to-back homers in the eighth.