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PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber blasted four home runs during Philadelphia’s dominant 19-4 triumph over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night, joining the ranks as the fourth Phillies player and the 21st in major league history to achieve this milestone.
Schwarber was 4 for 6 with a Phillies-record nine RBIs.
He claimed the outright lead in the National League for home runs, reaching a personal best of 49, and is now just one shy of Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for the major league lead. Schwarber also tops the majors with a career-high 119 RBIs.
Mike Schmidt was the previous Philadelphia player to hit four home runs in a single game, achieving this against the Chicago Cubs in April 1976. Schwarber’s performance marked the third occurrence of a four-homer game this season, following the feats of Eugenio Suárez and Nick Kurtz.
The Philadelphia star started the power surge with a solo shot in the first off Cal Quantrill (4-12), sending a 2-1, curveball into the seats in right field. Schwarber hit a flyout to center in the second.
After Quantrill was lifted with one out and two runners on base in the fourth, Schwarber greeted lefty Austin Cox by sending a 3-2 curveball over the wall in right for his fourth multi-homer game of the season.
With “M-V-P! M-V-P!” chants ringing down from Phillies fans in the fifth, Schwarber launched a three-run, opposite-field drive off Cox to put Philadelphia ahead 15-3. In the seventh, Schwarber hit a three-run shot to right off Wander Suero to make it 18-4.
Schwarber popped out in the eighth to short left field with third baseman Vidal Bruján on the mound.
After Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola (3-7) labored through a three-run, 37-pitch first inning, Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Max Kepler homered in the bottom of the inning. Bryce Harper also went deep for Philadelphia, which had 20 hits.