Former Indiana baseball standout Kyle Schwarber continued his hot year by having a very successful World Baseball Classic with Team USA.
Despite falling 3-2 in the Championship game to Japan, Schwarber hit a massive home run in the eighth inning off of Yu Darvish to keep Team USA alive and within striking distance. Schwarber was 1-of-3 on the night.
Schwarber finished the World Baseball Classic going 5-of-14 with two home runs, four RBIs and five walks.
Coming into the event, some of the Team USA members were discussed in a negative light about the reps they were missing out on in Spring Training.
Schwarber’s message to them was quite clear.
“This is like the best at-bats that you could ever get before a season,” said Schwarber said following the game. “You’re not really tiptoeing your way through a spring training at-bat. You’re coming in and competing. It’s time to win. I don’t feel like the quantity [of at-bats] is a problem because I would say everyone got really good quality.”
The former IU star is coming off of a World Series appearance with the Philadelphia Phillies, falling 4-2 to the Houston Astros. Schwarber hit .218 last year with 46 home runs and 94 RBIs. Both were career-highs. He also had career-highs in walks (86) and strike-outs (200).
Schwarber will enter his ninth season in the MLB this year. Prior to his time with the Phillies, he played for the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026 after signing a four-year deal this past offseason.
Below is a full video of his solo home run in the Championship Game on Tuesday night.
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