Kyle Schwarber wasted no time at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, setting a new Major League Baseball record.
The Philadelphia Phillies star hit a home run to open their 9-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. He hit a deep ball off Rays pitcher Taj Bradley’s second pitch of the night that flew more than 430 feet to right-center field and gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
The home run was Schwarber’s 14th leadoff home run of the season, setting an MLB single-season record.
Until Tuesday, Schwarber was tied for the record with former New York Yankees star Alfonso Soriano. Soriano hit 38 home runs during the 2003 season, 13 of them leadoff runs. Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts came close to that mark last season, but finished with 12.
Schwarber also moved into eighth place on the all-time list after hitting 11 home runs as a leadoff hitter for the Phillies last season. The 31-year-old hit a career-high 47 home runs this season.
Tuesday’s home run was Schwarber’s 35th of the season, which ranks him seventh in the league. Schwarber entered Tuesday’s game with a .250 batting average and 94 RBIs, his third season with the Phillies.
Kyle Schwarber has to leave early due to elbow injury
After setting the record in the first inning, Schwarber left Tuesday’s game early due to a left elbow injury.
In the third inning, Schwarber slid back to first base to avoid a pickoff attempt by the Rays catcher. He got to the base the day before and was safe, but landed awkwardly on his left arm.
He stayed in the game and scored shortly thereafter with a home run by Trea Turner, but was taken out of the game in the fourth inning due to “discomfort in the left elbow.”
Further details about his injury are not yet known.
Although the Phillies began the eighth inning tied with the Rays, they scored five runs in that inning – including a two-run shot by Turner – to take the lead and take the five-run victory. The benches also cleared briefly in the second half of the eighth inning after Nick Castellanos was hit by a pitch.
Philadelphia now has an 87-58 record this season. Tuesday’s win was the Phillies’ eighth in their last 10 games. They have a comfortable lead in the NL East standings and are tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the league with less than 20 regular-season games remaining.
