Schwarber’s Record-Setting Night Helps Phillies Down Braves

MLB

At Citizens Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies crushed the Atlanta Braves 19–4 in a spectacular comeback from their early disadvantage. Kyle Schwarber's historic effort, which included hitting four home runs in a single game, making him the 21st player in MLB history to achieve this, and recording a franchise-high nine RBIs, helped the Phillies explode offensively. Schwarber hit home runs in the first, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings. In the eighth inning, he came very close to hitting a fifth, but he was struck out.

With help from J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper, and others, the Phillies went one step further and tied their franchise record with seven home runs in a game. The Braves took an early lead, but Philadelphia quickly responded with a three-homer, six-run first inning that included Schwarber's first of the evening and big hits from Harper and Realmuto, putting them ahead 3-0. The offense was unrelenting from the beginning. This just proves that no matter the start, you should never give up. 

Cal Quantrill was supposed to stop the Philadelphia offense, but instead, he had a terrible game, giving up nine earned runs on nine hits, including four home runs, two of which came from Schwarber, in just 3.1 innings. As Philadelphia fired up the scoreboard, his night came to an early end. Aaron Nola of the Phillies, meanwhile, struggled at first but eventually settled into a groove following a difficult opening period. He got comfortable and pitched six strong innings, giving the Braves only a few runs and holding them at bay for the remainder of the game.

Quantrill, who has struggled this season with a 5.51 ERA and gave up 10 runs in just 7.1 innings against Philadelphia earlier this year, had to put on a clinical performance for the Braves to turn things around. They also needed to start strong offensively, especially against Nola, who has been erratic and is coming into this "statement game" looking to bounce back after a difficult season and recent ailments. Yet, none of these things happened. The offense will look to get back on track in tomorrow night’s game, the second of a four-game series against the Phillies, in a series that has been described as playoff-like. The offense should be ignited by Jurickson Profar's recent rise, as he is among the league's top hitters this August.

Rayna Oakley

Rayna is a junior at the University of Hartford, pursuing a Digital Media and Journalism Degree with a concentration in Sports Media. She’s played sports throughout her life and now loves to write about them.

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