Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs, including his 17th career multi-homer game out of the leadoff spot, and Zack Wheeler threw seven shutout innings as the Philadelphia Phillies posted a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.
Schwarber, who returned to Boston for the first time since his departure after the 2021 season, ripped leadoff blasts in the first and fifth innings to lead the Philadelphia offense, which managed seven hits. Bryson Stott went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Wheeler (8-3) allowed just one run on three hits – all over the first two innings – and struck out four in his outstanding start.
David Hamilton went 2-for-4 for Boston.
Schwarber wasted no time doing damage against his former team, ripping Boston starter Kutter Crawford’s (2-6) first pitch of the game into the right-center field bullpen for a solo homer.
The top third of Boston’s order teamed up to tie the game in the bottom of the first. Jarren Duran’s leadoff single and a Hamilton double to center set the table for Rob Refsnyder’s sacrifice fly to right.
After Crawford allowed just one hit across the following two innings, the Phillies took a 3-1 lead on first baseman Dominic Smith’s costly fielding error with David Dahl at the plate with two outs in the fourth.
Schwarber extended the Philadelphia lead with another solo swing of the bat to lead off the fifth. He has 13 homers this season.
Crawford bounced back to strike out three of the following six batters, but the Red Sox offense was equally quiet for much of the night. After Connor Wong lined a leadoff single to center in the second, Boston went hitless for the remainder of Wheeler’s outing.
The Boston starter struck out eight across six innings of six-hit, four-run ball. Only two of the runs were earned.
Hamilton hit a one-out single to get Boston back in the hit column, but Jose Alvarado recovered to strand the runner on third for a save.
–Field Level Media
