Kyle Schwarber’s last swing Thursday night was a disappointment. He’d hit four home runs, and in the eighth inning had a chance to become the first player in major league history to hit a fifth. He popped up.
By doing so, however, the Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter averted a certain controversy and cries that his accomplishment was tainted.
Why? Because the pitcher he faced was Atlanta Braves infielder Vidal Bruján, a position player mopping up the last inning of the Phillies’ 19-4 victory at Citizens Bank Park.
Bruján lobbed a 57.4 mph pitch over the middle of the plate.