Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber is swinging a scorching bat in 2025, sitting tied with Aaron Judge for the MLB home run lead at 14 as of May 13, 2025. But what’s really turning heads is how he’s getting it done, especially against left-handed pitchers—a matchup that used to be his kryptonite. Schwarber, a lefty batter himself, has adopted a mantra that sounds intense but has clearly worked: “You have to be prepared to die.” Yeah, you heard that right. And it’s paying off big time.
Schwarber shared the origins of this mindset with The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, explaining that it came from another lefty hitter who had success against one of the greatest southpaws ever, Randy Johnson. “The mind’s a powerful thing, right?” Schwarber said. “You tell yourself one thing, and the next thing you know, you’re having success.” It’s not just mental gymnastics, though—there’s a lot more to his turnaround. Since the start of the 2024 season, Schwarber has faced more left-handed pitchers than any other lefty batter in the majors, and he’s thriving. This year, he’s hitting a blistering .321 against lefties with a 1.220 OPS. Even more impressive? Half of his 14 home runs have come against lefties, despite taking nearly twice as many at-bats against right-handers.
Let’s put that into perspective. Back in 2018 with the Chicago Cubs, Schwarber was struggling against lefties, hitting just .224 with a .656 OPS—actually a career-best at the time, considering he’d been hovering around .170 against them earlier in his career. Fast forward to now, and he’s flipped the script entirely. Those numbers aren’t just good—they’re elite, especially for a lefty facing same-sided pitching, which is notoriously tough due to the angles and pitch movement.
Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long, who’s been with the team since 2022 and has coached in the majors since 2007, isn’t surprised by Schwarber’s transformation. “He’s got this knack for willing himself to do things that other people think he can’t do,” Long said. But it’s not just grit—there’s real baseball savvy at play here. Long broke it down: “It’s work. It’s willing yourself. It’s understanding what a lefty is trying to do to you. Understanding the angles. Understanding what pitches do against lefties.” He pointed out that Schwarber has shortened his swing since joining the Phillies, giving him better control and quicker reactions against those tricky left-handed pitchers.
What Schwarber’s doing at the plate right now is the kind of stuff that makes you sit up and take notice. Tying Aaron Judge for the home run lead is no small feat, but doing it while mastering a matchup that used to be his weakness? That’s next-level. His “prepared to die” mantra might sound dramatic, but it’s clearly lighting a fire under him, and with half the season still to go, Schwarber’s bat could carry the Phillies deep into October. For Philly fans, this is the kind of performance that gets you dreaming of a big postseason run—and Schwarber looks ready to lead the charge.
