ESPN News Services
Sep 24, 2025, 09:45 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA -- Edmundo Sosa hit three of Philadelphia's team-record eight home runs, Kyle Schwarber had two to pad his National League lead and the Phillies wrapped up a first-round bye with an 11-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.
Assured one of the top two seeds in the NL, the East champion Phillies (93-65) will open the postseason at home Oct. 4 in a best-of-five division series.
Schwarber hit Nos. 55 and 56, and also doubled and singled. He trails Seattle's Cal Raleigh by three for the major league homer lead after Raleigh hit his 59th in the first inning of the Mariners' game against Colorado.
Philadelphia hit seven homers against Atlanta on Aug. 28, with Schwarber getting four of them.
The Phillies will enter the postseason as one of the favorites for a championship. They are coming off playoff disappointments in the first round against the Mets in 2024 and in the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks the year before.
Amid his career-best season, Schwarber said he and the Phillies have their sights set on bigger things.
"Don't get me wrong, I know it's been a successful season, not just for me but for a lot of guys in the clubhouse," Schwarber said. "Back to back NL East champions, going to the playoffs again, we just got a bye -- being one of the top two teams in the National League. So there's a lot to be proud of. But we're not done yet.
"You have to keep pushing because you don't just want to be remembered for regular seasons. You want to be remembered for special things down the road. We know that the postseason is a wild animal and there's a lot of different things we need to do to walk away with a win at the end of the day."
Sosa was activated before the game after being out since Sept. 16 because of a groin injury. Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm and Otto Kemp also homered.
Jesus Luzardo (15-7) struck out 10 in seven innings against his former team. He allowed three hits and one run.
Marlins starter Ryan Weathers (2-2) lasted 4⅔ innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits -- three of them homers. Valente Bellozo allowed four homers in the seventh.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
