Kyle Schwarber’s tone-setting night in Los Angeles brought back memories of Matt Stairs 2008 NLCS bomb
When the Phillies needed him most, Kyle Schwarber unleashed on the Los Angeles Dodgers, notching a perfect 4-for-4 (one walk) to go along with three bombs and SEVEN RBIs in Wednesday night’s 9-4 victory.
Schwarber’s big not brought back memories of Matt Stairs and the now-historic home run that he hit in the 2008 NLCS.
Kyle Schwarber x Matt Stairs – Phans of Philly
Stairs hit his first career postseason home run on October 13, 2008, in Game 4 of the 2008 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers off Jonathan Broxton, allowing the Phillies to take the lead and win the game.
The Phillies won Game 1 and 2 against the Dodgers in the NLCS. In Game 3, Los Angeles punched back, beating Jamie Moyer and company 7-2.
Game 4 was pivotal. There was no way that the Phillies could drop another game and allow the Dodgers to even the series.
After Chase Utley and Ryan Howard gave the Phillies an early 2-0 lead in the game, the Dodgers fought back, tagging Joe Blanton for three earned runs in the first five innings, before Chad Durbin entered the game and allowed two more to cross the plate.
With Carlos Ruiz at the plate, Chan Ho Park threw a wild pitch that allowed Ryan Howard to score to put the Phillies within two runs of the Dodgers in the sixth.
Shane Victorino, which a lot of people continue to gloss over given the Stairs moonshot, crushed a 2-run shot to even the score. Pedro Feliz lined out and Carlos Ruiz singled, bringing pinch-hitter Matt Stairs to the plate in a 5-5 ball game.
Stairs sent a pitch from Jonathan Broxton “deep into the night” to give the Phillies a 7-5 lead and a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Dodgers.
Matt Stairs Home Run – 2008 NLCS
Obviously, the implications were much different but given Schwarber’s stature and where the baseball landed, it was a necessary comparison.
On top of that, the Phillies desperately needed a series win.
Heading into last night, the last series win they had was way back on July 9-11, when they swept the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies extended their lead in the NL East to 7.5 games over the Atlanta Braves. In the National League, they now lead the Dodgers by 2.5 games and own the tiebreaker, which could come in handy at the end of the regular season in the quest for home field advantage through the NLCS.
The Phillies also are back in the top spot for the best record in all of Major League Baseball at 68-46 on the season.
Kyle Schwarber Career-Night in Los Angeles
Kyle Schwarber Home Run No. 1
Kyle Schwarber Home Run No. 2
Kyle Schwarber Home Run No. 3
Join The Chase
Read More
Jesus Luzardo shoves, Phillies dominate the Fish
The Phillies sent Jesus Luzardo to the mound at Citizens…
WATCH: Mike Gansey jinxed Jesus Luzardo’s no-hit bid while on the broadcast with T-Mac and Kruk
The new Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey showed…
Trea Turner left Monday’s game with a wrist contusion after getting hit by 96.9 mph pitch
Trea Turner took a 96.9 mph fastball off the right…
Comments (0)