Schwarber sets strong tone with leadoff HR, but Phils unable to follow through

PHILADELPHIA — No player sets the tone for the postseason like Kyle Schwarber.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, his teammates couldn't follow his lead in a 6-2 loss to the Mets on Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park.

Schwarber wasted no time making his mark, crushing his fifth career postseason leadoff homer – extending his own MLB all-time record. The slugger jumped over a 1-1 pitch from Kodai Senga, sending it a Statacast-projected 425 feet with an exit velocity of 115.8 mph. That exit velocity was more than any ball hit by Schwarber — not just home runs — during the entire regular season.

But the Phillies didn't register another hard-hit ball (exit velocity 95 mph or more) until the eighth inning. In fact, their only other hit in the first seven innings came off the bat of Schwarber: a 75.1 mph bloop single in the third that had just a 14 percent hit chance.

“They're going to bury stuff and try to chase us as much as possible,” first baseman Bryce Harper said. “Obviously, they've got really good pitching, but we've got really good hitters here. We just have to persevere and realize we can do it.”

Harper's two-out eighth-inning double was the Phillies' first hit by a player other than Schwarber. By then, Philadelphia had seen its 1-0 lead turn into a 5-1 deficit when the Mets rallied for five runs against the Phillies' bullpen in the top of the eighth.

Along with his double, Harper worked a pair of walks — but he also struck out to end the fifth after chasing three straight pitches out of the zone. Trea Turner went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts, including a pitch chased out of the zone. Nick Castellanos went 1 for 4 with two strikeouts — both ended by swinging at pitches off the plate in the dirt.

“There were some runs out there tonight, for sure,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We've got to get back in the zone. We need to start using the field. We talk about it all the time. And just put together better at-bats.”

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza added: “We did a good job today. In order for us to continue to move forward, we must do this. Again, this is a really good team with a lot of good hitters.”

The Phillies' offensive struggles were more surprising than the way the game began.

Schwarber setting the tone has become a familiar start to Phillies postseason games over the past few years. He also hit a leadoff home run in Game 1 of the 2023 NL Championship Series vs. the D-Backs, Game 5 of the 2022 World Series vs. the Astros, and Game 3 of the '22 NLCS vs. the Padres. Schwarber's other postseason leadoff homer came as a member of the Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS.

The latest blast was Schwarber's 21st playoff homer overall, moving him into fourth place on the all-time list. Only Manny Ramirez (29), Jose Altuve (27) and Bernie Williams (22) have more career home runs.

Schwarber easily leads the majors with 15 leadoff homers in the regular season, five more than any other player. Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson was second with 10 — and no other player had more than six.

The Phillies went 13-1 in the first 14 games this season in which Schwarber hit a leadoff shot. But they've now lost each of the last two — both against the Mets (also Sept. 21 at Citi Field).

Harper said the Phils know the Mets' approach is to chase them out of the zone. New York did just that in Game 1. How the Phillies respond in Game 2 could go a long way toward determining the outcome of the series.

They'll happily accept another Schwarber tone-setter – but they'll need more to follow.

“The Mets have been throwing the ball very well,” Thomson said. “So I think it's a combination of both — again, we have to be disciplined and get back in the zone.”