Kyle Schwarber is ‘grinding through’ a knee injury but still setting the tone for the Phillies

Kyle Schwarber received a text message Friday morning, asking him to catch the first pitch before the National League Championship Series resumed at Citizens Bank Park.

It’s usually the Phillie Phanatic’s duty to crouch behind home plate and snag the ceremonial toss, but the Phillies wanted Schwarber. They told him Matt Stairs would be the one throwing it. Schwarber was in.

It made sense as Schwarber’s 488-foot homer in Game 1 brought immediate flashbacks to the blast Stairs hit in the 2008 NLCS at Dodger Stadium.

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“It’s funny, I actually had a coach who was with the Dodgers when he hit that home run,” Schwarber said. “And he always talked about it.”

Stairs had just five hits for the Phils in that regular season but the fastball he crushed off Jonathan Broxton produced an iconic swing. And now Schwarber — after ripping a lead-off homer in Game 3′s 4-2 win over San Diego — is approaching that territory.

He hit the furthest homer in the history of Petco Park on Tuesday and followed it up by setting the tone on Friday in a win that pushed the Phillies just two wins from reaching the World Series. And it is what led to those memorable swings that makes Schwarber an icon in the clubhouse.

“We all saw what he was going through just to get on the field for us,” J.T. Realmuto said. “He obviously wasn’t himself.”

Schwarber injured his knee during the last week of the season in Washington. Bryson Stott noticed him hobble after sliding into home plate, knowing immediately that something was wrong. The coaching staff told Matt Vierling to be ready as he would take Schwarber’s place if the injury took him out of the lineup.

But Schwarber — who plays with the same toughness he had as a linebacker in high school — wouldn’t let that happen. Manager Rob Thomson said it would have been a “fist fight” if the Phillies ever wanted to place Schwarber on the injured list. So Schwarber just kept playing.

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“I think the cool thing about him is he didn’t want people to know he was hurt,” Rhys Hoskins said. “People look up to him as a leader, someone to follow. He knows that. He knows the kind of pull he has on guys, especially young guys. He tries to keep those guys confident because they know he’s confident.”

Schwarber had just one hit in 20 at-bats during the team’s first six postseason games, his knee sapping the production that carried the Phillies for stretches of the season. The Phillies finished the NLDS in three games, which provided the team an off day before flying to San Diego for the NLCS.

“He hasn’t talked much about it. I think that says a lot about him. Pretty tough guy,” Vierling said. “That’s a testament to him. How big of a leader he is, how unselfish he is, and how he’s willing to put himself on the line and try to get this thing done.”

Schwarber spent a portion of the extra day off at Citizens Bank Park receiving treatment on his knee and arrived in San Diego feeling refreshed. Schwarber said the treatment he receives each day and just the time since the injury occurred has allowed the discomfort to no longer hinder him on the field.

Kevin Long, the team’s hitting coach, was impressed so much by Schwarber’s batting practice before Game 1 that he correctly predicted that night to Thomson that Schwarber would homer. Realmuto checked with Schwarber on Monday during the team’s workout in San Diego to see how he felt. He was much better, Schwarber said.

“I said ‘Oh, nice.’ The next day, he hits a homer, one of the furthest balls we’ve ever seen hit,” Realmuto said. “It was good to see him grind through that. He never complained one time. He never didn’t want to be in the lineup. That’s the kind of guy you want in the clubhouse. That’s the kind of leader he is. Now he’s reaping the benefits of grinding through it.”

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The series was tied Friday night but the ballpark still felt uneasy. The Phillies had to play two games before their two top pitchers would take the mound again. Stumbling on Friday and Saturday could sink the season.

Then Schwarber hit a full-count cutter 405 feet to lead off the first inning. It didn’t travel as far as his moonshot in San Diego, but it was just as important.

It brought a sense of relief that the Phillies could survive without Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. It set the tone for a night that made a trip to the World Series feel closer. And it came from a guy who started hobbling just three weeks ago.

“He’s not going to shy away. If he can walk, he’s going to be out there,” Alec Bohm said. “That’s just who he is. He’s not going to ask for a day. He’s not going to try to rest or whatever. He’s going to find a way. Every time he’s up there, you can feel it in the stadium, everyone knows that you can get a run here. You love seeing him walk up to the plate.”

The scoreboard showed Stairs’ home run from 2008 before he tossed the first pitch to Schwarber. The highlight has followed Stairs ever since, a reminder of the power one swing in October can have. This October, Schwarber already has two swings that could stick with him 14 years from now.

“I’ll think about that 14 years from now,” Schwarber said about the legacy those homers could carry. “Obviously enjoy tonight but let’s focus on tomorrow, too. I want to keep making great stuff. We’ll see where we’re at in a couple days.”

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