TORONTO – Kyle Schwarber’s third home run of the game gave him the lead in the ninth inning and scored three runs, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 on Tuesday night after allowing six runs in the first inning.
Schwarber hit his 12th home run of the season and hit another home run in the fourth inning before hitting a home run with no outs in the ninth inning on the ninth pitch from Chad Green (4-5), a 96 mph fastball. Right fielder George Springer barely reacted to Schwarber’s 426-foot line drive that hit the second deck for his 31st home run of the season.
Schwarber became the first Phillies player to have two three-home run games in a season, and he has three such games in his career. He finished 5-for-6 with six RBIs and came within a cycle triple by adding a double in the third inning and an RBI single in the seventh inning.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit 4 for 5 and hit a two-run homer for Toronto, which led 6-1 after one inning and knocked Phillies starter Tyler Phillips out of the game two-thirds of the way through an inning. Phillips allowed six runs on eight hits, including two-run homers by Daulton Varsho and Addison Barger.
Orion Kerkering (4-2) threw a scoreless eighth inning. Matt Strahm, the Phillies’ seventh pitcher, allowed Leo Jimenez’s home run in the ninth inning but finished the game with his second save in eight chances.
NL East leader Philadelphia hit a season-high 18 hits and won its third straight victory.
Green made his second consecutive save after blowing one on Sunday in Minnesota. He made 16 consecutive save opportunities to start the season.
Edmundo Sosa opened the ninth with a single and reached third base on Kody Clemens’ double before Schwarber’s home run tied the score at 10-8.
In the first inning, Phillips struck out two of the ten batters he faced and left the field after Springer’s second hit.
Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott each scored a run in the third inning, and Schwarber’s second home run cut the score to 6-4 in the fourth inning.
Guerrero hit his 28th home run in the sixth inning against former Toronto teammate Taijuan Walker, giving the Blue Jays an 8-4 lead.
Philadelphia responded with a three-run seventh inning against three Toronto relief pitchers.
