Kyle Schwarber hits two homers to
lift Phillies over Dodgers 8-2 and avoid sweep in NLDS
[October 09, 2025]
By BETH HARRIS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered twice, his first towering
shot clearing the right-field pavilion in a three-run fourth inning,
and the Philadelphia Phillies avoided a sweep with an 8-2 victory
over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of their NL Division Series
on Wednesday night.
It was the first Schwarbomb of the postseason for the NL's leading
home run hitter and the first allowed by the Dodgers in these
playoffs. Schwarber snapped an 0-for-8 skid in the NLDS, slugging a
96-mph fastball from Yoshinobu Yamamoto 455 feet.
“It’s ridiculous how far that ball went,” Phillies shortstop Trea
Turner said. “Sometimes it’s hard to create your own momentum, and
you’ve got to build off things like that. No better way than the
ball leaving the stadium.”
Schwarber became just the second player to homer over the pavilion,
joining Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell, who did it in 1969 and 1973.
Fans standing near the back railing pointed as the ball went out.
“I didn't even see where it landed,” Schwarber said. “I was looking
in the dugout, trying to get the guys going.”
Schwarber's 23 career postseason homers rank third all-time and are
the most among left-handers.
Game 4 of the best-of-five series is Thursday at Dodger Stadium,
with the Dodgers clinging to a 2-1 lead.
“It’s pretty close to being flushed already,” Dodgers manager Dave
Roberts said. “I feel good with where we're at.”
After Philadelphia's Aaron Nola pitched the first two innings,
Ranger Suárez came in and allowed one run and five hits in five
innings. He struck out four and walked one.
“Ranger did a fantastic job,” Schwarber said. “Kept everyone right
there for us to eventually crack through and have a beginning.”
The Phillies tacked on five more runs in the eighth — including a
solo shot by J.T. Realmuto and a two-run drive by Schwarber — off
three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw in his first
postseason relief appearance since 2019.
Six of the Phillies' 12 hits came off Kershaw in his 18th and final
season with the Dodgers before retiring at season's end.
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Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber follows his solo home run off
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto during the
fourth inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Division
Series Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C.
Hong)
“I was battling command,” Kershaw said. “It's hard
when you're trying to throw strikes in the postseason to get people
out.”
Yamamoto retired nine of his first 10 batters before the Phillies
jumped on him in the fourth. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm followed
with singles and Harper scored on center fielder Andy Pages'
throwing error. It skipped away from third baseman Max Muncy and
into the Dodgers dugout, moving Bohm to third. He scored on Brandon
Marsh's sacrifice fly to left for a 3-1 lead.
The Phillies chased Yamamoto with back-to-back singles by Bryson
Stott and Turner in the fifth.
Reliever Anthony Banda came in and worked out of a bases-loaded jam.
He struck out Schwarber after Stott and Turner's double steal.
Harper flied out and Bohm was intentionally walked before Banda got
Marsh on a swinging strikeout to end the threat.
The Dodgers led 1-0 on Tommy Edman's homer on the first pitch by
Suárez leading off the third.
The Dodgers had the potential tying runs on first and second in the
sixth but Max Muncy grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Kershaw allowed three runners in the seventh, but none scored.
Another left-hander, 89-year-old Dodgers great Sandy Koufax, was on
his feet applauding as Kershaw jogged to the mound.
Dodgers sluggers Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman were a combined 0
for 8 with three strikeouts. Mookie Betts tripled and singled in
four at-bats.
Up next
LHP Cristopher Sánchez, who started Game 1 of the series, goes for
the Phillies on Thursday against Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow, who
pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in Game 1.
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