Kyle Schwarber takes center stage with multi-homer game at Field of Dreams: ‘He’s fun to watch’
Aug 13, 2026; Dyersville, Iowa, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) leads off the game with a home run against the Minnesota Twins at the Field of Dreams. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
As the Phillies walked out of the cornfields in Dyersville, Iowa, they were sitting outside of a playoff spot. The first time since early June that they were out of a position in the postseason.
After three games in St. Louis in which the Phillies offense scored one run or less in their two losses, they needed a response heading into Dyersville, Iowa, to take on the Minnesota Twins at the third-ever MLB Field of Dreams game.
And the center of the Phillies lineup, playing a part in the offensive struggles, was Kyle Schwarber, who was in the midst of a slump.
He had a 17-game homerless streak, and despite that, he still remained at the top of the National League as the leader in home runs.
Schwarber has been one of the most dangerous and dependable hitters in the Phillies lineup, behind Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and the newly acquired Luis Arraez.
And once he started heating up, it got the whole lineup rolling.
He broke his homerless streak and an 0-for-20 slump during Sunday’s win against Toronto, in which he blasted two home runs.
So Schwarber did what Schwarber did best: homered to start the game into the corn and regain the MLB lead in home runs. Off Taj Bradley’s third pitch of the game, it marked the 47th leadoff home run of his career, tying him with Curtis Granderson for the seventh-most in MLB history.
“That’s Kyle, right?” Bryce Harper said postgame. “1-0, anytime you can get that, it’s huge… that’s Kyle, that’s what he brings to the table, he’s a leader on our team, and just a lot of fun to watch.”
And then, with the Phillies up by a run and looking for insurance, he did it again. He sent right fielder Luke Keaschall all the way back to the wall before the ball bounced off of his glove, extending the Phillies’ lead to three.
His starting pitcher that night, Aaron Nola, also complimented him.
“He’s fun to watch,” Nola said. “We’ve seen it time and time again, right? He has his home run drought, and he comes back and hits two with ease.”
This is what the Phillies need from Schwarber. They need him on his A-Game. He is the driving factor of the entire lineup.
“I was excited to see the corn,” Schwarber said earlier this week.
And he sure liked hitting baseballs into it, too.
“Just going up there trying to get a good pitch,” Schwarber said. “Was able to get to a pitch down and in and send it out. Obviously, second one required a little bit of luck there… when I hit it, I was like, I hit that really well, and from BP, the wind was kind of blowing in and it was kind of cutting it down, and then luckily it hit the glove and bounced over.”
His six multi-homer games are tied with Hunter Goodman of the Rockies for the most all season, and his 42 multi-homer games are third among active players, behind Manny Machado’s 45 and Aaron Judge’s 47.
What’s more important about a corn-filled Schwarbomb is the impact and the memories that will last forever.
It’s only the third time the MLB has hosted a game in the iconic movie venue, and the Phillies were given the opportunity to play in a remarkable field that hosted the likes of Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones.
Schwarber will never forget this.
“It was a great overall day, great experience,” Schwarber said. “We were really excited about this, and fun to be able to walk out with a win… I felt like the whole lineup did a great job from top to bottom, grinding on Bradley, who’s a really good starter for them, and got him out early and was able to keep adding on.”
And to go along with Schwarber’s two big flies, he gave his Nola, who was on the mound that night, a cushion of run support. Nola went five innings and struck out nine Twins.
And that was all it took for a 7-1 blowout Phillies win to give them a little extra motivation as they push back into a playoff spot.
And at the forefront of it all is Schwarber. Despite the blowout win and fantastic performance from Nola, he stole the spotlight.
And he will need to continue those spotlight performances if he wants to propel the Phillies into the postseason, as Kyle and his former teammate, Anthony Rizzo, enjoyed some corn after the game.
But as Costner said to Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie, “If you build it, they will come.”
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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