Red Sox
Schwarber is fourth all-time in career playoff appearances 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 playoff 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 over the same span, one of their former sluggers worked hard to make 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 would have liked to keep the outfielder longer. Schwarber is quietly building a resume as one of the best postseason hitters of the 21st century, if not MLB history.
The now Philadelphia Phillies slugger hit his first home run on Saturday with major implications for the record books. The long ball marked Schwarber’s 21st postseason home run, 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, this home run was for nothing. The Phillies offense collapsed the rest of the game and lost 6-2 to the New York Mets.
Still, Schwarber’s individual success in the postseason stands in stark contrast to Boston’s lack of success over the past three seasons. Schwarber’s Phillies 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 bats when it mattered most. He hit three home runs in the 2022 Series and five long balls in the 2023 NLCS.
Even though Schwarber only made one trip to the postseason in a Red Sox uniform, he still proved his worth in the postseason, hitting three home runs in the 2021 postseason for Boston.
The Red Sox, then managed by Chaim Bloom, attempted to re-sign Schwarber after the 2021 season, but Bloom said at the time that his contract had reached “a level that made no sense.”
Fast forward to 2024, Schwarber has used up three of four years of his $79 million contract. And it seems to be worth every penny for Philadelphia.
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