Schwarber scores twice as Phillies avoid sweep in NLDS Game 3

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Schwarber homered twice, his towering leadoff shot clearing the right-field pavilion in a three-run fourth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies avoided a sweep with an 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night.

It was the first postseason Schwarbomb for the NL’s leading home run hitter and the first allowed by the Dodgers in these postseasons. Schwarber had an 0-for-8 skid in the NLDS, hitting a 96 mph fastball from Yoshinobu Yamamoto 455 feet.

“It’s ridiculous how far that ball went,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. “Sometimes it’s hard to create your own momentum, and you have to build on that stuff. There’s no better way than letting the ball leave the stadium.”

Schwarber became only the second player to homer over the pavilion, joining Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell, who did so in 1969 and 1973. Fans standing near the back railing pointed as the ball came out.

“I didn’t even see where he landed,” Schwarber said. “I was looking in the dugout trying to get the guys going.”

Schwarber’s 23 career postseason home runs rank third all-time and are the most among lefties. Game 4 of the best-of-five series is Thursday at Dodger Stadium, with the Dodgers clinging to a 2-1 lead. Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, who started the series opener, pitches for the Phillies against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who pitched 1⅔ scoreless innings of relief in the opener.

“He’s already about to be flushed,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I feel good about where we are.”

After Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola pitched the first two innings, Ranger Suarez entered the game and allowed one run and five hits in five innings. He struck out four and walked one.

“Ranger did a fantastic job,” Schwarber said. “We kept everyone there so we could eventually break through and get started.”

The Phillies scored five more runs in the eighth — including a solo shot by JT Realmuto and a two-run drive by Schwarber — against three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw in his first postseason relief appearance since 2019.

Six of the Phillies’ 12 hits were hit by Kershaw in his 18th and final season with the Dodgers before retiring at the end of the season.

“I was struggling with command,” Kershaw said. “It’s tough when you’re trying to throw strikes in the playoffs to get people out.”

Yamamoto retired nine of his first 10 batters before the Phillies jumped on him in the fourth. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm followed with singles and Harper scored on center fielder Andy Pages’ throwing error. He moved away from third baseman Max Muncy and into the Dodgers dugout, moving Bohm to third. He scored on Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice fly to left for a 3-1 lead.

The Phillies chased Yamamoto with back-to-back singles from Bryson Stott and Turner in the fifth.

Reliever Anthony Banda came in and got out of a bases-loaded jam. He retired Schwarber after Stott and Turner’s double steal. Harper flied out and Bohm was intentionally walked before Banda got Marsh to take a strikeout to end the threat.

The Dodgers led 1-0 on Tommy Edman’s first-pitch homer by Suarez in the top of the third.

The Dodgers had the potential to tie the scores on first and second in the sixth, but Muncy grounded into a double play in the bottom of the inning.

Kershaw allowed three runners to reach base in the seventh, but none scored. Another left-hander, 89-year-old Dodgers great Sandy Koufax, stood and clapped as Kershaw ran to the mound.

Dodgers sluggers Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman went a combined 0 for 8 with three strikeouts. Mookie Betts had triples and singles in four at-bats.