NLCS takeaways: Phillies power pays off
As I mentioned in a previous post regarding Kyle Schwarber’s record 488-foot home run, the Phils are not a team to kill their opponent with paper cuts. Instead, Schwarber and Harper offered up two solo shots. For Harper, it was his highest-hit home run of the year, and it barely reached the Petco Park seats. For Schwarber, it was a record-setting blast that sent a message.
Schwarber’s blast set a number of records. First, it was the longest home run in Petco Park history. Second, it was the hardest-hit home run by exit velocity in postseason history, at least in the Statcast Era. It was also the second-longest home run in playoff history since 2015.
Home runs in the pitch-tracking era, since 2008, of at least 119.7 mph:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 19, 2022
Giarcarlo Stanton: 121.7 mph, Aug. 9, 2018
Giancarlo Stanton: 121.3 mph, July 25, 2020
Aaron Judge: 121.1 mph, June 10, 2017
Giancarlo Stanton: 119.8 mph, June 11, 2022
Kyle Schwarber: 119.7 mph, tonight
The 29-year-old left Harper, his own teammate who hit said solo shot earlier in the game, utterly speechless.
The Phillies communicate well, and while it took some time to get to Yu Darvish, Harper mentioned on the broadcast that he and his teammates were “looking for the heater.” It sounds like a simple approach, but with the arsenal Darvish has, it’s always best to have a specific pitch and location in mind.
Harper and Schwarber did that to perfection.