Kyle Schwarber has hit 232 home runs in his first five seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies — good for second place in MLB history in that category, and just three behind Babe Ruth‘s 235 with the Yankees. He’s already passed Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, Ralph Kiner and Mark McGwire. When the 2026 regular season ends, this category closes on him forever.
The List That Puts It in Perspective
MLB statistician Sarah Langs published the full ranking on September 16, 2026. It reads like a Hall of Fame ballot:
- Babe Ruth, NYY: 235
- Kyle Schwarber, PHI: 232
- Mark McGwire, STL: 220
- Ralph Kiner, PIT: 215
- Alex Rodriguez, NYY: 208
- David Ortiz, BOS: 208
- Albert Pujols, STL: 201
Ruth built his 235 with the Yankees from 1920 to 1924 at a pace that seemed untouchable: 54, 59, 35, 41 and 46. Schwarber got to 232 a different way — four of his five Philadelphia seasons ended with 40 or more home runs, including the 56 he hit in 2025 to lead the National League.
On September 7, 2026, Schwarber had already claimed the franchise record: his 230th home run passed Ryan Howard’s 229 (2006–2010) as the most by any player in any five-season stretch in Phillies history. That record is his. Ruth’s still isn’t.
Why Now — and Why Never Again
The urgency is built into the math. The «first five seasons with a team» category has a hard expiration date: 2027 will be Schwarber’s sixth year in Philadelphia, and the clock stops counting. Whatever doesn’t happen before the final out of the 2026 regular season simply never happens.
As of September 16, Schwarber has 45 home runs and an OPS of .870 on the season. Ruth is at 235. The gap is three home runs. The Phillies still have games to play, and Schwarber leads the National League in home runs this year.
One note worth making: McGwire’s 220 Cardinals home runs came between 1998 and 2002, a period he has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. It’s not the same kind of mark. Pujols, Ortiz, A-Rod, Kiner and Ruth are the real historical standard — and Schwarber has passed all of them except the Bambino.
In the postseason, Schwarber is already the left-handed hitter with the most home runs in MLB history (23), including the NLCS record of 11. If the Phillies make a run, that list could grow too.
The Numbers Behind the Power
Schwarber doesn’t show up on lists like this by accident. His 2026 Statcast profile explains exactly how he hits the way he hits:
- Plate appearances: 646
- Home runs: 45 | RBI: 95
- AVG: .238 | OPS: .870
- xwOBA: .365 — 92nd percentile
- Average exit velocity: 92.4 mph — 92nd percentile
- Barrel rate: 16.7% — 99th percentile
- Hard-hit rate: 49.6% — 91st percentile
- Bat speed: 77.1 mph — 97th percentile
- Squared-up rate: 2nd percentile (among the lowest in MLB)
- Whiff rate: 5th percentile (among the highest in MLB)
The profile is extreme in both directions: elite raw power by every measure, and one of the highest strikeout rates in the league. That tradeoff has produced 232 home runs in five years and a chase for one of the most historic marks in the sport.
