Ex-Red Sox sets postseason HR record for Phillies in three years

Schwarber is fourth all-time in career postseason homers, and has 12 since joining Philadelphia in 2022.

Kyle Schwarber has been to a World Series more recently than the Red Sox have earned a postseason bid. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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The Red Sox may have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but during that same timeframe, a former slugger of theirs was hard at work making an impact in October.

Kyle Schwarber only played half a season for the Red Sox in 2021 after being acquired at the trade deadline, but Boston probably wishes it had kept the outfielder longer. Schwarber is quietly building a resumé as one of the best playoff hitters of the 21st century, if not MLB history.

The now-Philadelphia Phillies slugger dialed up a leadoff home run on Saturday with major implications on the record books. The long ball marked Schwarber’s 21st postseason homer, fourth all-time behind Manny Ramirez (29), Jose Altuve (27), and Bernie Williams (22). It was also Schwarber’s 12th with the Phillies, a new franchise record.

Unfortunately for Schwarber and Philadelphia, that home run was for naught. The Phillies offense slumped the rest of the way through the game and lost 6-2 to the New York Mets.

Still, Schwarber’s postseason success individually serves as a stark contrast to Boston’s lack thereof in these last three seasons. Schwarber’s Phillies have reached the playoffs in each of his three seasons there. They earned a trip to the World Series in 2022, lost in the NLCS in 2023, and are the No. 2 seed in the National League this season.

Schwarber seemed to add extra juice to his at-bats when it mattered most. He slashed three home runs in the 2022 series, and a whopping five long balls in the 2023 NLCS.

Even though Schwarber was only along for one postseason trip in a Red Sox uniform, he still proved his postseason value, hitting three home runs in the 2021 playoffs for Boston.

The then-Chaim Bloom-led Red Sox did attempt to re-sign Schwarber following the 2021 season, but Bloom stated at the time that his contract got “to a level that didn’t make sense.”

Flash forward to 2024, Schwarber has exhausted three of the four years on his $79 million contract. And it seems to be worth every penny for Philadelphia.