There were plenty of jaw-dropping numbers to come out of this week’s series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox, and most of them centered on Kyle Schwarber.
Over the three games at Fenway Park, Boston hit just two home runs as a team, both coming on Wednesday. Schwarber matched that total on his own, launching a pair of homers that directly fueled Phillies victories on Tuesday and Thursday.
Schwarber now leads Major League Baseball in home runs with 18 on the season, after also leading the National League last year. Seven of those homers have come in his last seven games. Coincidentally, 18 is also the total number of wins the last-place Red Sox currently have, as they fell to 18–25 after losing two of three to Philadelphia.
Boston had opportunities to sign Schwarber following the 2021 season and again last offseason but struck out both times. Schwarber later revealed that the Red Sox didn’t even make a formal offer this past winter, with conversations never moving beyond an initial phone call.
That decision has come back to haunt Boston. The Red Sox offense has been among the worst in baseball this year, ranking near the bottom in runs scored, home runs, and OPS. Schwarber alone has more home runs than all of Boston’s left-handed hitters combined and is on pace for 66 this season. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are on track for just 68 wins.