Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs, including a 455-foot blast that cleared Dodger Stadium’s right-field pavilion, as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night. The victory kept Philadelphia’s season alive, cutting the Dodgers’ series lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five matchup.
The Dodgers entered the game as -160 moneyline favorites, with the Phillies listed at +140 underdogs. The over/under was set at 8.5 runs, a mark that Philadelphia’s late offensive surge comfortably surpassed.
Schwarber’s first homer, a towering three-run shot off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the fourth inning, was his first postseason and the first home run that Los Angeles surrendered in these playoffs. The drive traveled an estimated 455 feet, landing beyond the right-field pavilion and joining Willie Stargell as only the second player to clear that stadium section since it opened in 1962. His second home run came in the eighth, a two-run shot off veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw.
“It’s ridiculous how far that ball went,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said after the game. “Sometimes you need a spark, and that one gave us all a lift.”
Schwarber, the National League’s home run leader during the regular season, has 23 career postseason homers, ranking third all-time and first among left-handed hitters.
The Phillies added insurance in the eighth inning, scoring five runs off Kershaw in what is expected to be his final season before retirement. J.T. Realmuto hit a solo home run to left-center, followed by Schwarber’s second blast. Philadelphia collected six of its 12 hits off Kershaw, who allowed five earned runs in 1⅔ innings in his first postseason relief appearance since 2019.
“I was battling my command all night,” Kershaw said. “When you’re behind in counts during the postseason, it’s hard to get hitters out.”
Los Angeles scored in the third inning when Tommy Edman hit a solo home run off Phillies reliever Ranger Suárez, who entered after Aaron Nola pitched two scoreless innings to start the game. Suárez went five innings, allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
Philadelphia took control in the fourth. After Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm singled, Harper scored when center fielder Andy Pages’ throw skipped past third baseman Max Muncy and into the Dodgers’ dugout, allowing Bohm to move to third. Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice fly brought Bohm home, extending the Phillies’ lead to 3-1.
Yamamoto, who had retired nine of his first ten batters, was chased in the fifth after consecutive singles by Bryson Stott and Turner. He was charged with three earned runs on six hits over four innings, striking out five and walking one.
The Dodgers had opportunities to close the gap but failed to capitalize. In the sixth, Max Muncy grounded into an inning-ending double play with two on base. Kershaw allowed three baserunners in the seventh but escaped without surrendering a run. Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman combined to go 0-for-8 with three strikeouts, while Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 with a triple and a single.
“It’s pretty close to being flushed already,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I feel good with where we’re at.”
The Phillies will send left-hander Cristopher Sánchez to the mound for Game 4 on Thursday night, while the Dodgers will counter with right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who threw 1⅔ scoreless innings of relief in Game 1. Los Angeles remains one win away from advancing to the National League Championship Series, while Philadelphia aims to force a decisive Game 5.
