Kyle Schwarber Walk-Off HR Lifts Phillies 6-4

Kyle Schwarber walk-off is the 39th homer, the MLB lead, and a 6-4 win the Phillies had no business taking. Philadelphia was scoreless through eight at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, four hits on the board, down 4-0. Then they scored six with two outs in the ninth. The Associated Press, CBS Sports, and the Inquirer all had Schwarber's two-run shot to center, 459 feet, two out, 2-2 sinker. Helmet flip. Ninth straight win. Third straight series sweep.

This is not Saturday. Saturday was the 38th homer in a 12-3 laugher. Sunday they were dead until the last out. Bryce Harper doubled to lead off the ninth, his second double of the game. Riley O'Brien (3-5), St. Louis' fifth reliever, got two quick outs, Luis Arraez popping up and Brandon Marsh flying out, the Inquirer sequenced. J.T. Realmuto singled. Harper went to third. Realmuto took second on defensive indifference. Justin Crawford walked. Bases loaded. Last out? Not yet.

Kyle Schwarber walk-off: six runs, two outs, 459 feet

Edmundo Sosa doubled down the left-field line. Three runs. 4-3. The Inquirer said it barely stayed fair. Bryan De La Cruz singled to left. Sosa scored. 4-4. Oliver Marmol left O'Brien in. Schwarber fell behind 0-2, then hit the 2-2 sinker to dead center. AP timed the blast at 459 feet. NBC Sports Philadelphia called it the majors-best 39th. The Phillies' first walk-off homer since June 9, 2023, also Schwarber, the Inquirer wrote. Longest drought in MLB until Sunday.

Alex McFarlane (3-1) pitched the ninth and got the win, AP and CBS both had it. Cristopher Sanchez allowed four runs over 6 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Alec Burleson had two RBI singles. Jose Fermin homered. St. Louis led 4-0 and handed it back in one inning. Kyle Leahy had thrown four shutout innings on a 63-pitch cap, 11 straight starts with two runs or fewer, AP noted. The bullpen could not finish it.

Ninth straight, and a West Coast trip

Nine in a row. Three straight sweeps. The AP said they send Zack Wheeler (10-4, 2.92) against Seattle's Bryce Miller (4-7, 3.71) on Monday. MLB.com called it another magical ending at Citizens Bank Park after eight innings that looked like the streak dying. It did not die. Sosa's three-run double started the two-out rally. De La Cruz tied it. Schwarber ended it.

Saturday's 38th was a solo off a position player in a blowout. Sunday's 39th was the season's loudest ninth. Same player. Different game. The Cardinals have Monday off, then Baltimore at home. The Phillies take the streak west. Schwarber takes 39.

Kyle Schwarber walk-off FAQ

What was Kyle Schwarber's walk-off homer? His MLB-leading 39th, a two-run shot with two out in the bottom of the ninth, 459 feet to center, as the Phillies beat the Cardinals 6-4, per AP, CBS, and the Inquirer.

How did the Phillies score six in the ninth? Harper doubled. After two outs, Realmuto singled, Crawford walked, Sosa hit a three-run double, De La Cruz singled to tie it, and Schwarber homered, the Inquirer and AP sequenced.

How many in a row have the Phillies won? Nine. The AP said it was also their third consecutive series sweep. Wheeler starts Monday in Seattle.