Schwarber hits 13th leadoff HR of season for Phillies, matching Soriano's 2003 MLB record
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits a solo home run in the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. Credit: AP/Cole Burston
TORONTO — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber hit his 13th leadoff home run of the season against Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis on Wednesday, matching Alfonso Soriano’s 2003 major league record.
A day after hitting three home runs, Schwarber went deep for the fourth time in seven at-bats and picked up his sixth hit in that span when he drove a 1-0 pitch into the second deck in right. The 416-foot shot was his 32nd of the season.
With the 44th leadoff home run of his career, Schwarber matched Brady Anderson for ninth on baseball’s all-time list. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson leads with 81, while Toronto’s George Springer leads active players with 60.
Soriano hit 54 leadoff home runs, 13 of them for the New York Yankees in 2003. Soriano and Schwarber are the only players with multiple seasons of 10 or more leadoff home runs.
Schwarber’s third homer Tuesday night was a go-ahead, three-run drive in the ninth inning as the Phillies rallied past Toronto 10-9 after allowing six runs in the first. The two-time All-Star and 2022 NL home run leader finished 5 for 6 with six RBIs and came within a triple of the cycle.
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