Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has, over the course of his 10-year big-league career, developed a reputation for doing his best work during the month of June. Schwarber added to his June legend on Monday night, homering twice and driving in four runs overall as part of a 9-2 Phillies victory against the San Diego Padres (box score).
Schwarber’s big night earned him a spot in baseball history. Indeed, he became the fastest player to ever reach 60 home runs in the month of June, doing it in his 172nd contest. The record had previously been held by Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, who required 191 June games to reach 60 home runs. Additionally, Schwarber’s path to 60 home runs is the second quickest for any month in Major League Baseball history, missing out on the record (Juan Gonzalez, 167 games in August) by a week, according to the Phillies’ communications department.
To honor the occasion, let’s take a look at Schwarber’s two home runs from Monday night. First, here’s the two-run shot he hit off Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez in the third inning to put Philadelphia up by a 2-0 margin:
And here’s Schwarber’s nightcap, another two-run shot, with this one coming against lefty Adrián Morejón in the bottom of the sixth inning:
By the way, there’s statistical truth to the assertion that Schwarber does his best hitting leading up to and around Flag Day. His .932 OPS in June coming into play on Monday was, by far, the best mark of his career for any individual month. Check out the month-by-month breakdown:
- March/April: .740
- May: .754
- June: .932
- July: .769
- August: .880
- September/October: .878
Credit it to the rising temperatures, random fluctuation, or whatever other variable you want. But Schwarber, a March baby, is always likely to be associated with the year’s sixth month as a result.
Schwarber, 31, entered Monday night hitting .248/.367/.431 (128 OPS+) with 14 home runs and 43 RBI on the season. With the win, the Phillies are now 48-24, good enough for the best record in the National League and a sizable lead over the Atlanta Braves in the East.
