kyle-schwarber-leadoff

Chronicling All Kyle Schwarber Leadoff Home Runs (Videos)

Last Updated on October 5, 2024 by Matt Musico

Baseball has changed a lot over the years. It’s more analytical than ever, which has led to us seeing things we probably never expected. One thing that’s been front and center is Kyle Schwarber leadoff home runs.

Yeah, I know — I wasn’t expecting it either, but when it happens at the right time and everything clicks, it just works.

Before 2021, Schwarber accumulated plate appearances as a leadoff hitter in five different seasons. In three of those years (2015, 2018, and 2020), he racked up no more than eight plate appearances. On the two other occasions (2017 and 2019), he racked up 173 and 253 plate appearances, respectively, but it didn’t necessarily lead to great results.

Schwarber posted a .693 OPS and an 84 wRC+ with seven home runs as the Chicago Cubs’ leadoff hitter in 2017. It was better in 2019, as his OPS went up to .825, along with a 106 wRC+ and 17 home runs.

With the Nationals in 2021, manager Dave Martinez plugged Schwarber into the leadoff spot in June, and it was suddenly magic. During a month in which he accumulated 116 plate appearances, Schwarber slashed .280/.362/.760 with 16 (!) homers and 30 RBI. Those 16 taters got dangerously close to Sammy Sosa’s MLB record of 20 homers in a month, which he did in June of 1998 for the Cubs.

One record he did tie, though? The most leadoff home runs in a month. Schwarber’s June 2021 streak included seven. MLB.com’s Jason Catania noticed what was happening when he hit his fifth, but then Schwarber proceeded to hit two more before the calendar flipped to July.

The magic continued beyond June, as he hit one for the Boston Red Sox after getting acquired by them in the middle of the season (and then again in the postseason). He’s kept it going since joining the Phillies in 2022, as well.

Now, “Kyle Schwarber, Leadoff Hitter” doesn’t sound so crazy anymore. With this in mind, I thought it’d be fun to keep a running tally of all the leadoff Schwarb-bombs out there. They’ll be split up by team below.

Related: A Complete Guide to Single-Season (& Single-Game) HR Performances

Kyle Schwarber Leadoff Home Runs: Chicago Cubs

Table of Contents

May 24, 2019 vs. Cincinnati Reds

YouTube video

 

May 29, 2019 vs. Houston Astros

YouTube video

June 13, 2019 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

YouTube video

June 18, 2019 vs. Chicago White Sox

YouTube video

June 27, 2019 vs. Atlanta Braves

YouTube video

 

Kyle Schwarber Leadoff Home Runs: Washington Nationals

June 12, 2021 vs. San Francisco Giants

 

June 13, 2021 vs. San Francisco Giants

 

June 19, 2021 vs. New York Mets

 

June 20, 2021 vs. New York Mets

 

June 24, 2021 vs. Miami Marlins

 

June 28, 2021 vs. New York Mets

June 29, 2021 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

 

Kyle Schwarber Leadoff Home Runs: Boston Red Sox

September 3, 2021 vs. Cleveland Guardians

 

October 10, 2021 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

YouTube video

 

Kyle Schwarber Leadoff Home Runs: Philadelphia Phillies

April 8, 2022 vs. Oakland Athletics

YouTube video

 

 

June 3, 2022 vs. Los Angeles Angels

YouTube video

July 5, 2022 vs. Washington Nationals

YouTube video

July 22, 2022 vs. Chicago Cubs

YouTube video

September 25, 2022 vs. Atlanta Braves

October 1, 2022 vs. Washington Nationals

 

October 3, 2022 vs. Houston Astros

November 3, 2022 vs. Houston Astros

YouTube video

 

June 6, 2023 vs. Detroit Tigers

 

June 13, 2023 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

 

June 16, 2023 vs. Oakland Athletics

 

June 18, 2023 vs. Oakland Athletics

 

June 29, 2023 vs. Chicago Cubs

 

July 18, 2023 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

 

August 27, 2023 vs. St. Louis Cardinals

 

September 1, 2023 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

 

September 2, 2023 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

 

September 6, 2023 vs. San Diego Padres

 

September 28, 2023 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

 

October 17, 2023 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

March 31, 2024 vs. Atlanta Braves

 

April 13, 2024 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

 

April 17, 2024 vs. Colorado Rockies

 

April 26, 2024 vs. San Diego Padres

 

May 29, 2024 vs. San Francisco Giants

 

June 11, 2024 vs. Boston Red Sox

 

June 14, 2024 vs. Baltimore Orioles

 

July 10, 2024 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

July 28, 2024 vs. Cleveland Guardians

August 4, 2024 vs. Seattle Mariners

August 7, 2024 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

September 3, 2024 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

September 4, 2024 vs. Toronto Blue Jays

September 10, 2024 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

September 21, 2024 vs. New York Mets

October 5, 2024 vs. New York Mets

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2 responses to “Chronicling All Kyle Schwarber Leadoff Home Runs (Videos)”

  1. Unlikely MLB Hitters to Record An Inside the Park Home Run

    […] player I’d like to see make his way onto this list before his playing days are done? Probably Kyle Schwarber, but his specialty seems to be leadoff home […]

  2. April 2022 MLB Home Run Recap: Most, Furthest, Shortest, and More

    […] like a good ol’ fashioned moonshot at Coors, right? After leading off the Phillies’ season with a home run a couple weeks prior, this was his third home run in four […]

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