Merrill Kelly takes heat from Phillies fans after Kyle Schwarber's record-breaking homer - "Merrill finding out how loud the Bank is"
Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies wasted no time getting to Merrill Kelly in Game 2 of the NLCS. Trea Turner started the party with a solo blast in the first inning, and Schwarber had two solo blasts of his own.
This marks 15 home runs now for Philadelphia in their last four playoff games. According to Sarah Langs, this is the most home runs in a four-game span in postseason history.
This team has caught fire at the perfect time. Players like Schwarber, Turner, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos have seen the ball well so far during the postseason.
These home runs have taken the pressure off the team's pitching staff to be perfect. Philadelphia looks like a dangerous team destined to make it back to the World Series.
"Merrill finding out how loud the Bank is" one fan posted.
"October Schwarbombs just hit different" another fan posted.
Philadelphia Phillies fans quickly took to social media to poke fun at Merrill Kelly. Ahead of Game 2, Kelly commented that he does not believe the stadium will be as loud as it was for the World Baseball Classic. The fanbase took that as a challenge.
Kyle Schwarber now has 18 postseason home runs for his career. This ranks him fourth among active players, tied with Houston Astros slugger Alex Bregman. Jose Altuve has the most, with 24 to his name.
Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies look unstoppable
The Phillies look like a juggernaut in the postseason. While most point to Kyle Schwarber's excellence, he is not the only player putting on for the team.
The team's pitching staff has been phenomenal. They put the Atlanta Braves in check in the NLDS. As one of the regular season's best teams, they went 2-17 with RISP and left 26 runners on base.
Offensively, everybody has nearly contributed to the run scoring. From Schwarber to J.T. Realmuto, the lineup has no weak spot.
Arizona must be their best if they want to come from behind and take this series. Rookie Brandon Pfaadt will get the start on the bump in Game 3. He must control the zone and keep the ball down on Thursday.
Philadelphia would like to end this series as early as possible, so they will likely stick to the same game plan that has worked for them: sitting on a specific pitch and getting into favorable counts.