Kyle Schwarber, Derek Hill lift Phillies past Blue Jays in extra innings

Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Aug 9, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PHILADELPHIA — It was a day for the old-timers, more than 60 of them, from all eras in Phillies history. They stood along the third-base line, heard their names called, and waved to the crowd, a nod to bygone glory.

Then, for the next 3 1/2 hours, the Phillies applied their modern touches.

There were Schwarbombs (two, actually), dominance from one of the Three Aces, and yes, because these are the 2026 Phillies, a melt-like-ice-cream eighth inning in which a reliever vaporized a three-run lead.

And then they won anyway, in spite of themselves.

Let the record show that the Phillies capped a sultry Sunday with two runs in the 12th inning of a sweep-averting 7-6 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Bryson Stott punched a game-tying single through the right side before Derek Hill drove in J.T. Realmuto with a bases-loaded single underneath diving shortstop Andrés Giménez.

Hill raised his arms and got sprayed with water as he rounded second base, and everyone went home (mostly) happy, even Orion Kerkering, who gave up three bloop hits and a double in the three-run eighth inning that made this so much harder than it needed to be.

But it’s what these Phillies do.

When they support one of their three ace pitchers by hitting balls over the fence, they win more often than they lose. Way more. It’s a decent recipe for October, provided they get there. They came into Sunday tied for the last National League wild card, but only one game ahead of the San Diego Padres.

And so, especially on days like this, when the ghosts of 1980 and 2008 are standing there in plain sight, the question is unavoidable: Years from now, will this vintage of Phillies be remembered as champions or close-but-no-cigars for former tobacco magnate owner John Middleton?

Let’s revisit that question in five years or so, shall we?

Meanwhile, we can talk about how the Phillies survived their flaws this time. They had a chance to win the game in the 11th inning, but pinch-running Garrett Stubbs got thrown out at home plate on a throw from Jays right fielder Nathan Lukes. The Phillies challenged, contending that catcher Alejandro Kirk blocked the plate, but the call stood.

The Jays took the lead in the 12th when Lukes, the autorunner on second base, went to third on a single and scored on a double play.

But the Phillies came back in the 12th to stave off a third consecutive loss and cap a 4-3 homestand before heading out on a weeklong road trip to St. Louis, Iowa for the Field of Dreams Game on Thursday, and Minnesota.

Kyle Schwarber hadn’t homered since July 18, a span of 78 plate appearances, but was still leading the league with 33 when he came to the plate with two runners on base in the third inning.

Kaboom.

Schwarber insists he’s healthy despite tightness in his lower back that caused him to miss two games in June. He got ahead in the count against Jays starter Shane Bieber, then drove a changeup the opposite way for a three-run homer.

Two innings later, Schwarber did it again. This time, after the Jays trimmed the margin to 3-2, he turned on a curveball and launched it 448 feet into the right-field bleachers to restore a two-run lead.

Jesús Luzardo plowed through the Jays’ order, setting down the first 10 batters on 36 pitches, with seven of the outs coming by strikeout. He scattered four hits in seven innings and always appeared to be in control.

In his last 16 starts, dating to May 14, Luzardo has a 2.25 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 100 innings.

Luzardo handed over a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning, and Kerkering got two quick outs. But he gave up back-to-back bloop singles, an RBI double off the left-field wall from Ernie Clement, and a game-tying two-run single to Giménez.