Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber made sure that the National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres started with a bang.
Literally.
The nine-year veteran launched a 488-foot home run on a pitch from Yu Darvish in the top of the sixth inning.
488 feet.
Yes, you read that right.#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/zMsLckN7BK
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 19, 2022
Schwarber’s home run had an exit velocity of 119.7 mph, making it the hardest-hit postseason home run in the Statcast Era (since 2015). It is also the longest home run in Petco Park in the same time span.
Schwarber hit a career-high 46 home runs in the regular season, trailing only record-setting New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Bryce Harper, who hit a 368-foot homer in the fourth inning, had a fitting reaction to Schwarber’s moonshot.
When you watch Kyle Schwarber hit the longest HR in Petco Park history 😮 pic.twitter.com/7SOMSZ3LlP
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2022