Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs, marking his 17th career multi-homer game from the leadoff spot, and Zack Wheeler delivered seven shutout innings as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Boston Red Sox 4-1 in the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday night.
Schwarber, returning to Boston for the first time since leaving after the 2021 season, ignited the Philadelphia offense with leadoff homers in the first and fifth innings. The Phillies’ offense tallied seven hits, with Bryson Stott contributing by going 2-for-4 and scoring a run.
Wheeler (8-3) was dominant, allowing just one run on three hits—all within the first two innings—and striking out four. David Hamilton went 2-for-4 for Boston. Schwarber wasted no time against his former team, launching Boston starter Kutter Crawford’s (2-6) first pitch into the right-center field bullpen for a solo homer.
The Red Sox quickly responded, tying the game in the bottom of the first. Jarren Duran led off with a single, followed by a Hamilton double, setting up Rob Refsnyder’s sacrifice fly. Crawford settled in, allowing just one hit over the next two innings. However, a costly error by first baseman Dominic Smith with two outs in the fourth allowed the Phillies to take a 3-1 lead.
Schwarber extended Philadelphia’s lead with another solo homer to lead off the fifth, his 13th of the season. Crawford struck out three of the next six batters, but the Red Sox offense struggled to support him. After Connor Wong’s leadoff single in the second inning, Boston went hitless for the rest of Wheeler’s outing.
Crawford finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing six hits and four runs, though only two were earned. Hamilton’s one-out single in the ninth inning got Boston back on the hit column, but Jose Alvarado shut the door, stranding the runner at third to earn the save.
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