PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Schwarber may owe his new teammate Harrison Bader an apology of sorts.
Bader seemed destined to be the star of the night after coming through with a clutch three-run homer -- his first hit in a Phillies uniform -- to break a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning.
Later that same inning, however, Schwarber overshadowed Bader's first homer by smashing his second one of the night -- and his 40th of the season. Oh, and Schwarber's latest blast just so happened to be a grand slam that capped off a season-best eight-run inning, blowing the game open en route to a 13-3 win over the Orioles at Citizens Bank Park.
Schwarber became the fastest player in Phillies history to reach the 40-homer plateau, doing so in the team's 112th game of the season. Ryan Howard, who hit a club-record 58 homers in 2006, hit his 40th in his 112th game that season -- but it was the team's 114th.
Howard's 2006 campaign remains the only 50-homer season in franchise history. Schwarber appears to be well on his way to not only joining that club, but making a legitimate run at Howard's single-season record.
Following his third multihomer game of the season, Schwarber is now on pace to hit 57 home runs -- one shy of Howard's mark.
That's not the only race heating up with each "Schwarbomb."
Schwarber's grand slam came just moments after "M-V-P" chants had broken out throughout Citizens Bank Park. Those "M-V-P" chants were even louder as he strode to the plate in the eighth inning and ripped a single to cap his three-hit, six-RBI night.
That MVP case is becoming a compelling one. Schwarber's 40 home runs are the most in the National League, two ahead of MVP frontrunner Shohei Ohtani -- and just two behind MLB leader Cal Raleigh.
Speaking of home runs, the Phillies finished with a season-high six homers against the O's. Along with Schwarber's two and Bader's first as a Phillie, Bryce Harper hit a solo shot in the first, while Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson went back-to-back in the eighth.