Kyle Schwarber Matches Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa Record with 15th HR in 17 Games

Washington Nationals outfielder Kyle Schwarber tied a mark held by Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa by hitting his 15th home run in the past 17 games Monday night against the New York Mets.

Schwarber hit two homers in Monday's 8-4 victory, both off Mets starter Jerad Eickhoff, to match Sosa's run from 1998 and Bonds' from 2001. His 11 long balls in the past nine contests also tie Frank Howard from 1968 for the most over that span, per The Athletic.

The 28-year-old slugger was having an average season before the hot streak. He'd posted a .716 OPS with nine home runs through his first 51 appearances in 2021.

He started the eye-popping run with a homer June 12 against the San Francisco Giants and added two more in the series finale against the Giants a day later. He's had five multi-HR games during the streak, including a three-homer game against the Mets on June 20.

As a result, Schwarber now ranks fourth in MLB with 24 home runs, and his OPS is all the way up to .906, which is 16th in baseball.

"I think the biggest thing is just not missing the pitch," Schwarber told reporters after Monday's game. "Not fouling it off or taking it."

Mets manager Luis Rojas, who's watched his team allow seven of the Ohio native's 15 homers during the streak, said he doesn't really have an answer about how to slow him down.

"We're trying everything," Rojas said. "We're pitching him in, away, down, up, we've bounced balls. We've tried everything. This guy is swinging a hot bat."

If Schwarber keeps this up for much longer, he may start receiving the peak Bonds treatment —getting intentionally walked in any situation remotely important.

That's easier said than done, however, because he's followed by Trea Turner and Juan Soto in the lineup, giving the Nats one of MLB's most dangerous top three in the batting order.

Washington is back in action Tuesday night when it opens a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays at Nationals Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.