Sports

Phillies slugger becomes first NL player to reach 50 home runs

Kyle Schwarber became the second player in Philadelphia Phillies history to hit 50 home runs in a season.
He is the first National League player to reach the 50-homer mark in 2025.
Schwarber joins Ryan Howard as the only other Phillies player to accomplish this feat.

Kyle Schwarber’s career year just keeps getting better.

The reigning All-Star Game MVP joined an exclusive club on Tuesday, Sept. 9, when he became just the second player in Philadelphia Phillies history to slug 50 home runs in a single season – and the first National Leaguer to do it in 2025.

Schwarber snapped a home run drought that had reached 10 games when he launched a 437-foot blast to deep left-center in the seventh inning off New York Mets reliever Justin Hagenman. The milestone moonshot made him just the second player to reach the 50-homer mark this season, joining Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 53.

Schwarber also joined Ryan Howard as the only other member of the Phillies’ 50-homer club. Howard hit a franchise-record 58 homers during his MVP-winning season in 2006.

‘Just to join him, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege,’ Schwarber said of Howard. ‘That guy has done so many great things for Philadelphia. You can only hope to follow the way he went about his business and the way that he played the game and the way he brought excitement to the fans here.’

Schwarber also leads the NL with 123 RBIs. And he’s chipped in a career-high in stolen bases as well this season with 10.

Only 10 players in MLB history have ever produced at least 50 homers, 120 RBIs and 10 steals in a single season. Schwarber now joins the list that includes Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY