PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Schwarber’s first start at first base since joining the Phillies went as smooth as it could have -- well, until the final out anyway.
After Schwarber caught the flip from reliever Max Lazar to seal an 8-2 victory over the Marlins, he lingered at first base briefly before taking a few steps toward the mound. He then finally joined his fellow infielders at second base, where they awaited the outfielders to begin the customary handshake line.
“I was like, ‘Man, I wonder what they do out here?’” Schwarber said with a laugh. “I usually just stroll out there, give J.T. [Realmuto] and the pitcher a nice little high-five. But yeah, it was fun. It was nice to be out there.”
But on a night when Schwarber did something he'd never before done with the Phillies, he also did something he's done plenty with the Phillies.
Making his first start at first base since Game 6 of the 2021 ALCS with the Red Sox, Schwarber teed off for his MLB-leading 25th home run of the season in the fourth inning. He became just the fourth Phillies player to reach the 25-homer mark within the club's first 73 games, joining Ryan Howard (2006), Jim Thome (2004) and Chuck Klein (1930).
Though Schwarber played one inning of mop-up duty at first base on May 7 against the A's, he did not see any action in that game. Similarly, he didn’t have any balls hit to him on Tuesday night -- though the Marlins did square to bunt a few times early in the game, albeit unsuccessfully.
“You obviously see [that] the game plan there early was to try to go ahead and bunt it,” Schwarber said. “But go ahead, you know? I was hoping that they were actually going to get it down, but they didn't.”
And not getting any balls hit his way?
“That was fine. I mean, that's great,” Schwarber said. “I mean, I like outs. So any way outs are made, that's great.”
Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo clearly had no concerns about Schwarber playing behind him, considering the lefty fired a pick-off attempt over to Schwarber shortly after the Miami’s leadoff man reached to start the game.
"It was great,” Luzardo said. “They were trying to bunt the ball over there to him, and he was ready to go. So I'll take him over there any day of the week."
Well, it certainly won’t be any day of the week, but Schwarber’s cameo at first base allowed Bryce Harper -- the only Phillies player to play in all 73 games this season -- to get off his feet for a night as the club's designated hitter. Harper has started 68 of his 73 games at first base, while getting a handful of DH days. Alec Bohm and Felix Reyes started two games apiece in Harper's place at first earlier this season.
"He does work there occasionally -- we're not going to kill him anywhere -- but he handles himself all right out there," interim manager Don Mattingly said of Schwarber playing first. "We have to be able to do it some to be able to get Harp off his feet."
Schwarber wasn't the only Phillie doing something Tuesday that he had only done for a former team. With Trea Turner sidelined by a right wrist contusion, outfielder Brandon Marsh was penciled into the leadoff spot for the first time in more than four years. He last hit leadoff on June 12, 2022, for the Angels.
Like Schwarber, the change didn’t seem to slow down Marsh one bit. The outfielder continued his breakout season by working a leadoff walk and coming around to score in the first inning, then smashing a two-run homer in the second.
“I could hit him in the eighth spot the way he's going, and he’d look good,” Mattingly said. “He's kind of doing well everywhere.”
Marsh is the first Phillie other than Schwarber or Turner to hit leadoff this season. Turner began the year atop the lineup, but was bumped down to the No. 2 spot behind Schwarber on May 26 due to his season-long struggles.
But with Turner expected to return to the lineup for Wednesday's series finale, don’t expect to see a new-look lineup.
“We’ll get back to our lineup,” Mattingly said. “We're going to be consistent with what we do. Brandon's been good everywhere we’ve put him, so we'll get back to what we do.”