There were some jaw-dropping stats this week involving Kyle Schwarber, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Boston Red Sox.
In the three-game series at Fenway Park, Boston managed only two home runs as a team, both coming on Wednesday. Schwarber alone matched that total, crushing two homers of his own. Even more damaging, those blasts were go-ahead shots that powered Philadelphia to wins on Tuesday and Thursday.
Schwarber currently leads Major League Baseball in home runs this season after topping the National League a year ago. He already has 18 homers in 2026, including seven in his last seven games. In an especially brutal comparison for Boston, that total equals the Red Sox’s win count, as they sit in last place at 18–25 after dropping two of three to the Phillies.
The situation is even more painful considering Boston had multiple chances to sign Schwarber. The Red Sox could have landed him after the 2021 season and again last offseason but failed both times. Schwarber later said Boston never even made him an offer last winter, with discussions never getting past an initial phone call.
That missed opportunity is glaring now. Boston’s offense has been one of the weakest in baseball, ranking near the bottom in runs scored, home runs, and OPS. Schwarber by himself has more home runs than all of the Red Sox’s left-handed hitters combined and is on pace for 66 this season, while Boston is trending toward just 68 wins.