As the Philadelphia Phillies emerged from the Iowa cornfields ahead of Thursday night’s Field of Dreams game against the Minnesota Twins, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber were naturally in the front line leading their team.
Three pitches into the game, Schwarber hit a line drive right back to the corn he walked out of. The slugger hit two home runs on the night, batting in three runs to lead the Phillies’ offense. Harper, while homerless, contributed with a run and RBI of his own, reaching base twice on a single and a walk.
With 38 games remaining in the regular season, the duo of Phillies sluggers continues to inch closer to a milestone that few have reached in Major League Baseball history, and one that might make or break the Phillies’ season.
Schwarber currently leads the Phillies with 37 home runs on the season. Rewind one month ago, as the Phillies were exiting the All-Star Break, Schwarber’s count was at 32. Having dealt with a gastrointestinal issue combined with a slump over the past month, Schwarber’s production dropped to a low point. Over the past week, sparks of life have once again emerged from the left-handed power bat as he has had two multi-home run games, including at the Field of Dreams.
Now sitting at 377 career home runs, Schwarber needs 23 more to reach the fabled 400.
On the other hand, there is Harper. The outfielder-turned-infielder-turned-outfielder may not slug home runs at the same rate as his teammate, but he has three additional seasons in the Big Leagues contributing to his stat totals. As such, Harper’s 25 home runs so far this season bring him to 388 in his career, just 12 away from 400.
With 38 games to go, Harper needs to reach Schwarber’s current season total to reach 400, while Schwarber needs to essentially hit Harper’s entire current season in home runs to meet the mark himself.
Bryce Harper hitting 12 home runs in the final 38 games is certainly an attainable mark. As the Phillies enter the home stretch of the season, the biggest thing that may prevent Harper from reaching that mark is his recent move to right field.
Since moving positions after the trade deadline, Harper has been dealing with a buildup of soreness in his left knee. Combine that with the recent willingness the Phillies have displayed to use defensive replacements for Harper late in games, and he might miss enough at-bats to prevent him from reaching 37 home runs.
Sixty home runs, meanwhile, would be the most Schwarber has ever hit in a season. And while Schwarber has shown to have spurts of prodigious power capable of catching up very quickly, it would be unlikely for him to sustain the type of streak needed to reach 23 home runs in 38 games.
If the pair can hit 400 home runs in the same season, they will only be the second set of teammates to do so. Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn did so in 2012.
There are three other names worth keeping an eye on who may reach the 400 mark in 2026. Manny Machado is most likely to reach the mark. The Padres infielder has tallied 23 home runs this season, needing just eight more to reach 400. Tied with Harper with just a dozen dingers to go is Paul Goldschmidt, who has hit 16 home runs on the year.
Aaron Judge would be in the conversation were it not for his injury, leaving Freddie Freeman as the last potential candidate on the list. The former Atlanta Brave has hit 15 home runs for the Dodgers this season, but would need 18 more to reach career home run No. 400.
Whether this season or the next, Harper and Schwarber are part of a prestigious class of current stars set to join the 400 club.
It would be a tall order for Harper and Schwarber to reach 400 home runs this season. For the sake of the Phillies’ postseason efforts, they need to deliver.
Looking back, there have been 46 games this season that have featured a home run from at least one of Harper or Schwarber. In those games, the Phillies have gone 33-13. When the pair are homer-less, that record worsens significantly to 33-45.
Simply put, when Harper and Schwarber are on it, the Phillies follow.
As the records stand, the Phillies are currently in a three-way tie for the final two Wild Card spots with the Padres and Diamondbacks. They hold the tiebreaker over San Diego, but not Arizona, and a couple of teams are creeping behind them. The Braves are still 7.5 games up on the Phillies for the National League East.
Time is running out for the team with the fourth-highest payroll (per Spotrac) to make a difference. If the Phillies have any hope of making the postseason for a fifth straight year, it will come down to the two biggest bats in the lineup. The success of the races to 400 and Red October will be determined by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
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