Kyle Schwarber, MLB's hottest hitter, will miss extended time with 'significant' hamstring injury
Kyle Schwarber's white-hot run has hit the pause button.
The Washington Nationals outfielder exited Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with an apparent hamstring injury. Schwarber pulled up after running past first base on a second-inning single and exited without putting weight on his right leg.
Nationals manager Davey Martinez said Saturday an MRI showed a "significant strain" in the right hamstring, according to the Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty. Martinez said he doesn't like putting timetables on injuries but it will "definitely be more than a 10-day IL situation," Dougherty reported.
Gerardo Parra is in the lineup at left field for the Nationals on Saturday.
With Schwarber forced to miss time, it will interrupt one of the most remarkable runs of the season, one that officially won him NL Player of the Month on Friday.
Ahem...
That's "NL Player of the Month Kyle Schwarber," to you.@kschwarb12 // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/RL9eJjRYAy— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 2, 2021
Kyle Schwarber's home run barrage
When the Nationals signed Schwarber last offseason, it was a buy-low move for a player who hit only .188 last season and was later non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs. The team was likely hoping he could hit like the low-contact, high-power slugger he had been in his first five seasons in MLB.
The team probably didn't expect to get the reincarnation of Barry Bonds for a month.
After entering June hitting .230/.319/.447 and continuing to slump for the first 11 days of the month, Schwarber was moved to leadoff full-time and responded by doing something you typically don't see from a leadoff hitter: A historic home run barrage.
Between June 12 and June 29, Schwarber hit 16 homers over the span of 18 games:
Wanna know how Leadoff Hitter Kyle Schwarber became NL Player of the Month?
6/12 - SCHWAR💣
6/13 - 2 SCHWAR💣s
6/14 - SCHWAR💣
6/19 - 2 SCHWAR💣s
6/20 - 3 SCHWAR💣s
6/23 - SCHWAR💣
6/24 - 2 SCHWAR💣s
6/25 - SCHWAR💣
6/28 - 2 SCHWAR💣s
6/29 - SCHWAR💣@kschwarb12 // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/lHVN6cRJNM— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 2, 2021
That led to some particular silly stats, like:
Most home runs in a 75 plate appearance span in MLB history:
16 Kyle Schwarber 2021
15 Barry Bonds 2001
15 Mark McGwire 1999
15 Sammy Sosa 1998— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) June 30, 2021
Most HRs ever in the month of June:
Sammy Sosa: 20 (1998)
Kyle Schwarber: 16 (2021) 🔥
(h/t StatMuse) pic.twitter.com/XoPbeRvR7E— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 30, 2021
Kyle Schwarber has 12 home runs in his last 10 games
That's tied with 1995 Albert Belle for the most HR in any 10-game span since at least 1901— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 29, 2021
Schwarber is now one homer behind Fernando Tatis Jr. for the NL lead in home runs with 25 (he was a no for the Home Run Derby, sadly), with the most fWAR among hitters in the major leagues over the last 14 days. Hopefully, it's a run he can continue soon.
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