Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber left Tuesday night’s game against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays due to what the team called left elbow discomfort.
The Phillies’ No. 1 hitter opened the bottom of the first inning with a 437-foot home run, breaking Alfonso Soriano’s major league record with his 14th leadoff homer of the season. Soriano had set the old mark with the New York Yankees in 2013.
Schwarber, who has 45 career leadoff homers, then drew a walk to start the third. He appeared to hurt the elbow while diving back to first base during a pickoff attempt.
He soon scored on Trea Turner’s home run, but on Schwarber’s next turn through the order in the fourth inning, Buddy Kennedy came in to pinch-hit.
Schwarber, 31, collected his 35th home run of the season and raised his average to .251 before his exit. He has 95 RBIs and a league-best 98 walks in 134 games this season.
–Field Level Media