He smashed a first-pitch fastball from D-Backs starter Zac Gallen for a leadoff home run in the first inning of Monday night’s 5-3 victory over Arizona in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. It was a 117.1 mph rocket that slammed into the video board hanging from the second deck in right field, sending an already raucous crowd of 45,396 into a frenzy. The blast was Schwarber’s fourth leadoff home run of the postseason, an MLB record, and it set the tone as the Phillies further cemented Citizens Bank Park’s reputation as baseball’s best home-field advantage in the playoffs.
“It’s fun when you go to the record and all of a sudden 46,000 people get up and are ready to rock,” Schwarber said. “You want to set a tone. Whether it’s a home run, whether it’s a walk, a single, whatever it is, to try to get on base for the guys behind me. It’s something very special.
“Those are the things I’ll never forget when I’m done playing … walking up to the plate in those playoff games and hearing those crowds cheer.”
Two batters after Schwarber did his damage, Bryce Harper blasted a home run to right-center field to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
An inning later, Nick Castellanos hit an opposite-field home run to give the Phils a 3-0 lead.
Harper celebrated his 31st birthday on Monday with his third home run in three games. He held up three fingers of his left hand and one finger of his right hand as he crossed home plate. He blew out the makeshift birthday candles.
“Sometimes I just do things and it just felt right,” Harper said. “As I was walking around third base, I just thought about it.”
Castellanos hit five home runs in his last three games, joining Reggie Jackson (1977 World Series) as the only players with five home runs in three games in a single postseason.
“If we don’t win seven more games, it means very little to me,” Castellanos said.
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler allowed two runs on three hits in six innings, while the bullpen allowed one unearned run over three innings to save the ball. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Phils have gone just two full innings in their first seven postseason games, the second fewest for a team in a single postseason. They outscored opponents by 12 home runs (16-4), which is the best home run differential in seven games in a single postseason.
Schwarber’s home run kept everything going.
“If he does that, it swings the whole night in our favor,” Castellanos said. “The whole momentum, the whole stadium, the atmosphere, everything is leaning towards the Phillies. I haven’t played in many postseason games, but I’m learning that momentum is very important.”
Phillies fans had barely touched their shrimp fries when Schwarber scored on Gallen’s first pitch. They weren’t alone.
“I barely cracked my Red Bull,” said substitute Matt Strahm.
“Every time he’s up, you’d think it’s 1-0,” second baseman Bryson Stott said. “That’s why we called it ‘1-0.'” Yes, that was crazy. I didn’t even get up. I was still putting on my clothes. He hit it pretty quickly. [Jake] Cave still had his coffee in his hand, so you could tell it was still early.”
“I was just putting my contact lenses on the toilet when it happened,” said volunteer Jeff Hoffman. “I was on my way out and the ball was in the air. Then I heard the roar and was already on my way out.”
The funny thing is, Hoffman predicted it would happen. The Phillies’ relievers play a game in the bullpen where they throw their cap in front of them every time they think one of their teammates is hitting a home run. If they guess correctly, they win a prize.
“As soon as Wheels got the last one done, I threw my hat in,” Hoffman said. “I knew Gallen was a big first-pitch fastball guy, and we have a guy who really loves hitting first-pitch fastballs. So it was like a perfect storm. Schwarber is your best chance in many different scenarios. Even when it’s later in the game, I always praise Schwarbs because he’s just lightning in a bottle.”
Schwarber’s home run had an exit velocity of 117.1 mph, making it the fourth-hardest hit home run in the postseason since Statcast began tracking in 2015 and the second-hardest hit ball for a Phillies hit in the Statcast era. The hardest-hit postseason home run and hardest-hit ball in Phillies history, according to Statcast? Schwarber’s home run against Yu Darvish of the Padres in Game 1 of the 2022 NLCS. He hit the ball at 119.7 mph into the second deck in right field at Petco Park.
“It was 117?” Stott said Monday of Schwarber’s latest performance.
“Was it that hard?” Castellanos said. “Wow. That was really hard.”
It was a great way to open a series. The Phillies have a 22-7 (.759) all-time Game 1 record, which is the best winning percentage of any team in MLB history (at least 20 games). In all best-of-seven postseason series, teams that won Game 1 won the series 121 of 188 times (64 percent). In series with the current 2-3-2 format, teams that took a 1-0 lead at home won the series 65 out of 97 times (67 percent).
“I think my favorite part of every home game is the first pitch,” JT Realmuto said of Schwarber. “Because you can see that either he’s right or the pitcher is afraid to throw into the strike zone. In any case, it sets the tone.”