Kyle Schwarber and Ryan Howard used to train together. One could break the other’s Phillies home run record.

PHILADELPHIA – Kyle Schwarber stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth. It was his second time up to bat in an inning that probably should have been over a while ago. Schwarber and Bryce Harper made the first two outs, then the Phillies caught a break on a J.T. Realmuto safe call that could have been overturned. 

With four runs already in and the bases loaded, the crowd of over 41,000 rose to its feet. MVP, MVP. Schwarber, the star of the Phillies’ season, had already homered into the second deck in right field. He couldn’t possibly do it again. 

On a 1-0 pitch, Schwarber crushed a center cut fastball to the right field seats for his second grand slam of the year — and 40th home run of the season. The next batter Harper called timeout to give Schwarber a chance at another curtain call. He did not take it. 

Explaining his own success can sometimes be exhausting for Schwarber, who is second behind Seattle’s Cal Raleigh for the major league lead in home runs.

“It just happens. It goes over the fence,” Schwarber said. 

But Schwarber is well aware of what he has accomplished so far – and what is left for him to achieve. Through 112 games, he has 40 home runs. He hit two home runs, including a grand slam, to reach that nice round number in a 13-3 Phillies blowout win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

If he hits 19 more in the next 50 games, he will break Ryan Howard’s Phillies franchise record of 58 home runs in a regular season.

Why not? He has 15 home runs since the start of July. 

“‘I’m not trying to go out there and think about records or anything like that,” Schwarber said. “I’m more just trying to go out on a daily basis and, like I say, try to help these guys win. If that happens, it’s great, if it doesn’t, it’s great.” 

Schwarber, like many of his teammates, took in the message the newest Phillies Wall of Famer Jimmy Rollins had for the players in the first-base dugout on Friday. If you’re tired of hearing about 2008, win your own ring. 

The ring also comes with a lifetime of unconditional love and respect from Philadelphia sports fans. Maybe Schwarber, in his four years as a Phillie, has already earned it. But there is a special place in everyone’s heart for champions. 

“I think he’s one of those guys,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s very humble. He’s a great person. Does a lot for the community. Does a lot in his organization. And he’s a great player. Great hitter. I can understand why everybody loves him because I do too.” 

Schwarber is the greatest power threat the Phillies have had since Howard in his heyday. The designated hitter’s first home run of the night, a 427-foot blast against left-hander Cade Povich, landed deep into the second deck of right field. 

If there’s one guy that can join Howard in the third-deck club, it’s Schwarber. 

Schwarber’s connection to the 2006 NL MVP dates back to 2014. The two worked out in the same offseason training facility at the Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa until 2016. Schwarber found himself struggling to game plan against Howard as a rookie catcher in 2015.

A day after Cole Hamels threw a no-hitter in his final start as a Phillie at Wrigley Field, Howard hit his second home run in as many days. Schwarber had the best view.

“I swear he would have hit four home runs if the win wasn’t blowing in,” Schwarber said. “And I think he hit one that day. And I think I was just in a blender back there thinking, ‘How do I get this guy out?’” 

Howard at the time wasn’t the player he was in his prime after his devastating Achilles tear in the 2011 NLDS, but Schwarber learned by observing the veteran’s work as the two prepared for the 162-game season.

“You see how he’s preparing for the season,” Schwarber said. “How he’s going about his business. Obviously, in the cages, things that you kind of just sit there and watch, right? It’s not about – I’m not going up there trying to be a pest. You want to sit back, watch and see what’s happening. Those were things that I remember just sitting back, seeing how hard he was working at trying to prepare for the season. Those are things that stay with you.” 

The respect is mutual. 

“Schwarbs is nothing to sneeze at,” Howard said on July 18. “I remember we trained together in Florida. I remember watching him as a young buck coming up. To see where he is today, I’m extremely happy for him.”

Schwarber, barring a bad slump or a serious injury, has a very good chance at becoming the only other Phillie besides Howard to reach 50 home runs in a regular season. 

But the ultimate goal for Schwarber is to obtain the legacy that comes with a title victory in Philadelphia that Howard is all too familiar with. 

“We all heard over the weekend how special that ‘08 team is,” Schwarber said. “That’s a thing that we all strive to be. We all want to get to that position. We want to be in that position that they had. 

“You’re going to be remembered for a long time. You’re gonna be remembered here forever. Those are things, as a player, that’s what you dream of.”