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 by smashing his second long ball 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.
Bader, who spent four years with the Cardinals during Schwarber’s time with the rival Cubs, is just happy he no longer has to watch Schwarber’s homers sail over his head in the outfield.
His view from the first-base dugout Monday night was much better.
"He's unbelievable,” Bader said. “I've seen it for years -- we've all seen it for years -- from the other side, and I can tell you with experience now that it feels a lot better to be on his team."
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.
“I’m not trying to go out there and think about records or anything like that,” Schwarber said. “I’m more just trying to go out on a daily basis and help these guys win. If that happens, it’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s great.”
The Phillies’ single-season home run record isn’t 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 NL MVP frontrunner Shohei Ohtani -- and just two behind MLB leader Cal Raleigh.
“You hear the MVP chants, and I think they’re warranted,” said Jesús Luzardo, who tossed six innings of three-run ball for the win. “He’s a stud.”
Overall, the Phillies hit 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.
The six homers were the Phillies' most since Sept. 6, 2021, when they hit six in a 12-0 win in Milwaukee. Monday night marked their first six-homer game at home since July 9, 2017, in a 7-1 win over the Padres.
It was the type of power that had largely been missing throughout the lineup this season. But the Phillies have an MLB-best 33 home runs since the All-Star break.
“That’s a good sign,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to keep it going. We’ve got a ways to go here.”
Harper has certainly helped provide some much-needed pop since returning from the right wrist injury that sidelined him for most of June. Harper has 20 extra-base hits in his past 20 games, during which he’s hitting .333 (26-for-88) with eight home runs and a 1.204 OPS.
It was also a welcome sight to see Bader, who had 12 homers in 96 games with the Twins, hit his first since being acquired last week.
"I'm here for a reason -- one singular reason," Bader said, "and that's to perform and help this team win."
Added Schwarber: “I think that [homer is] going to be a weight off his shoulders, and we’re going to see a really good version of him.”
While that may prove to be the case, Monday will likely won’t be the last time Bader gets upstaged by Schwarber. He’s far from the first Phillie to experience it this season.
“He’s had a great year, he really has,” Thomson said of Schwarber. “The home runs, the RBIs, the big hits he’s had for us -- he’s had a great year.”
A great year -- and it’s only the first week of August.