The Philadelphia Phillies were on the brink of elimination heading into Game 3 of the NLDS. Taking the trip out west to face the Los Angeles Dodgers made the Phillies' fate seem all the more clear.
Philadelphia's top of the lineup wasn't hitting, and the bullpen was struggling to maintain its leads. But in Game 3, Kyle Schwarber finally emerged. In the fourth inning, right after the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead, Schwarber hit a 455-foot home run that left the stadium.
That moment was huge for the Phillies. After the game, Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared how Phillies manager Rob Thomson called the game-tying home run a hit that woke the team up.
Phillies' Kyle Schwarber wakes up the Phillies offense with a 455-foot home run
"I think the Schwarber home run just sort of woke everybody up," Thomson said, "and got a lot of energy going in the dugout."
The Phillies needed something to spark their offense. They scored just three runs in each of the last two games of the NLDS, and couldn't manage to piece together any sort of answer for the Dodgers' pitching.
But Schwarber's home run sparked a much-needed change. The Phillies went on to plate two more runs in that inning, and later in the 9th, they were able to blow the game wide open with five more runs, making it 8-1.
What made that big lead so important for the Phillies was that Thomson was able to save Jhoan Duran for Game 4 of the NLDS. With Cristopher Sanchez on the mound and Duran fully ready to go, the Phillies have a path to success.
While the Phillies are still one loss away from seeing their postseason run end prematurely, they have finally gained some momentum after two brutal losses at Citizens Bank Park.
This win was a team effort, but Schwarber, who later hit a second home run to make it 8-1, was the spark that this team desperately needed. His moon-shot that left Dodger Stadium reminded the Phillies of how great they can be.
There's still a lot of work that the Phillies need to do, including winning Game 4 in Los Angeles. This moment from Schwarber was the turning point of this series so far.
As Thomson said, Schwarber's 455-foot, 117 mph bomb to deep right field was the moment that ignited the Phillies' hitters and made the team believe that they have what it takes to win this series.
It's still an uphill battle, but the Phillies' bats are awake now. Schwarber's homer in the 4th inning was what woke those cold bats up. The Phillies still need to make a lot of things go their way, but now, the path to success is a lot clearer, and it's all thanks to one swing from the Phillies' 56 home run slugger.
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