Jul 11, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
NEW YORK — Phillies' president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski quipped "I hope he wins MVP" earlier this week when reiterating the organization's interest in retaining Kyle Schwarber beyond 2025.
He might just do it.
Schwarber continued what's been a magical 2025 season with a Babe Ruth-esque performance at Yankee Stadium Friday evening to help the Phillies defeat the Yankees 12-5 in the opener of their weekend set.
Schwarber got the Phillies on the board with a game-tying two-run home run off of Will Warren in the top of the fifth inning:
Kyle Schwarber’s 1000th career hit is a home run that’s on its way to New Jersey! 💥
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For Schwarber, not only was it his 35th home run of the season, but the 1,000th hit of his MLB career.
But he wasn't done.
In the top of the eighth inning, Schwarber turned on an Ian Hamilton fastball and deposited it into the seats for his 36th home run of the year, giving the Phillies some insurance after Jordan Romano allowed two runs in the home half of the seventh inning:
The bat speed from Kyle Schwarber is legendary. This season is legendary. 💣
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Schwarber finished the game 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs and a walk. His OPS on the season is now up to .960.
He's been hitting home runs at an even more torrid pace than usual since winning All-Star Game MVP, as he's already launched six since the Midsummer Classic. He's comfortably on pace to become the second Phillie to ever hit 50 home runs in a season, and with each passing day it feels less foolish to wonder if he could get in the neighborhood of the 58 that Ryan Howard hit in 2006. Howard, of course, won NL MVP that season.
Considering he's almost exclusively a DH, Schwarber is going to have an uphill battle to actually win NL MVP. But Shohei Ohtani broke through the glass ceiling a year ago by becoming the first full-time DH to win a league MVP. Marcell Ozuna, himself a full-time DH, finished fourth. There may not be the same stigma against DHs that there once was, especially if you hit 50+ home runs.
In between Schwarber home runs, J.T. Realmuto hit a towering home run of his own, a three-run shot in the top of the seventh inning. It was the seventh homer of the year for Realmuto:
J.T. Realmuto absolutely wasted this ball to give the Phillies the lead 💣
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Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott and Trea Turner all added RBIs in the top of the ninth as well.
Meanwhile, Taijuan Walker gave up three homers in his latest start, with Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton all tagging him for solo shots. Overall, though, Walker kept the Phillies in the game, scattering six hits over 5 2/3 innings. Walker's ERA now sits at 3.84 this season. He's not a candidate to start a postseason game, but he's generally done a fine job when asked to be the No. 5 starter this year.
Rob Thomson was impressed with No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter's latest start for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Thursday, Painter allowed just one hit over six innings against the Norfolk Tides. Granted, the one hit was a two-run home run by a rehabbing Ryan Mountcastle. But it was still a step in the right direction.
"It was excellent," Thomson said. "Six innings, really efficient. Was 76 pitches or something like that. But one hit ... pretty good pitch ... curveball down ... Mountcastle kind of hooked it over the fence. But he [Painter] was really good."
For another five games, it will still be July-ish, the preseason approximation of when Dombrowski said the No. 1 prospect could make his Major League Debut. It's unclear if a promotion of Painter is on the table in the near future.
Meanwhile, Mick Abel struggled in his latest start for the IronPigs, giving up seven hits and five earned runs over five innings against the Tides Friday. He's someone that could potentially rejoin the rotation this year as well, assuming he isn't part of a trade before the July 31 deadline.
