High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Kyle Schwarber: Opening Day Is Just Like Christmas | WIP Midday Show

Episode Date: March 27, 2024

Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber joins the WIP Midday Show to discuss hitting leadoff and what it feels like the night before Opening Day. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We got a special guest right now joining us to chat about, well, a big day tomorrow, opening day, and his partnership with Yards Brewery and the Philly Standard Beer. Joining us right now, Philly's designated hitter, and we think leadoff hitter once again, Kyle Struber. Good morning, Kyle. How you doing, man? Hey, guys. How's it going? Thanks for having me on. Struber, you know, I got to ask you, man, and I think I can ask you this because we're from Ohio. Every day on this show, we get a phone call about you leading off. In the last two seasons, you've hit 83 bombs,

and I think that you should be the leadoff. But tell me, why do you feel like you should be the leadoff hitter? Well, that's not my job. I'm player number 12, and wherever I get roads to land up, I'm going to go out there and hit. But, you know, I've always said that, you know, I've hit one through nine in the lineup before and done that one season. So I don't know if that's something to be proud of or not.

But, you know, pretty much wherever I get road in the lineup, that's where we're going to be. You know, I mean, this is bigger than, you know, personal status, you know, pretty much wherever I get wrote in the lineup, that's where we're going to be. You know, I mean, this is bigger than, you know, personal status, you know, whatever it is. We're trying to go out here and we're trying to do something special for the city, and that's what a championship means. You know, wherever Tom thinks that we're all best suited, that's where we're going to be at the end of the day.

Kyle, you mentioned they were trying to do something special and win a World Series. So we were down at Spring Train last week. We got to talk to some of your teammates, and we talked about that goal of yours and how much it's kind of talked about, how much it's just understood. Kyle, you've done this before. A lot of your teammates here haven't. Obviously, you guys have gotten close together, this particular group.

But what is that like, that journey? Because you went on it with that Cubs team and then trying to do it. You had a season in 2016 where everyone kind of thought you could and might win the World Series. Is it something that's in your head every day? Do you try to just stay day by day? What is it like heading into a season, Kyle, where you know everyone in the city thinks they should win the World Series? Yeah, I think expectations are a good thing. That means that, you know, you're going out there and you're trying to have success and you're trying to reach an angle.

And, you know, we've been close the last few years. And, you know, we've kind of, you know, we've cracked that stigma of, okay, you know, being in the playoffs and, you know, we've kind of, you know, we've cracked that stigma of, okay, you know, being in the playoffs and, you know, but now, you know, we want to make it to the playoffs and we want to reach it to that position where we're holding the trophy up at the end of the year. And like I've said this before, it's just, you know, it's not guaranteed by any means.

It's not guaranteed that you can make the playoffs. You know, it's a long season. There's so many things that can happen throughout the course of a year, but the way that we're built, we've got great players and I think that attributes to ownership. They expect us to win and the city wants us to win. You go from front office, manager, coaching staff, players. We all want to win, and that makes it for a fun work environment every day

to come into the field. Yeah, man, our mindset's there. It's going to be day one, and we're going to have goals along the way that we want to accomplish. We want to win the division, but at the end of the day you got to find a way in and try to put ourselves in a really good position and and try to make it to the end so speaking of day one so you guys is it safe to say that you guys have talked about trying to get off to a quick start and not have that slow start like you had last year um you know the you know i don't think that you you talk to anyone in the clubhouse that

you know that would go out there trying to start slow uh you know it's just one of those things that you know it happens and you know we're we're out there you know whenever we step on that field we cross out those lines you know we're expecting ourselves to win a baseball game we're out there, you know, whenever we step on that field, we cross out those lines. You know, we're expecting ourselves to win a baseball game. We're not going out there. There's never a day in 162 games that we're going out there thinking, man, this is a loss. You know what I mean? There's just never a day.

And there's going to be days that you have a good win, a bad loss, a big beat us, or a bad win, right? Like, it just goes throughout the course of the year. So, you know, if we can get off to a better start, I think it's going to help us out. But also, too, you know, like we said, the last two years we've gotten off to that slow start and we've found a way in there. So, you know, I think at the end of the day,

it's just us going out there trying to find a way in there. So, you know, I think at the end of the day, it's just us going out there trying to find a way in there. But yeah, I definitely think that. Do we want to get off to a better start? Absolutely. Philly's designated hitter, outfielder Kyle Strober with us. Kyle, tomorrow, opening day against the Braves. What's that like for you opening day?

I just, I feel it's such a different day. I mean, Kyle, you've been through a lot of these. Probably eight or nine now, all the rounds of the playoffs. But is opening day different? Do you still get those butterflies when you see the crowd on opening day? Oh, absolutely. You know, it's just one of those things, right, that, you know, it's just you always show up to the ballpark.

You know, you go into the ballpark and you just don't sleep well the night before because you got all the jitters and you know that bank's going to be packed and you're excited to get back in front of your fan base. And we're excited to start the year. It kind of feels like that. It gives you that first sense of the playoff, right? Because you back everyone's excited and and you know obviously we're going to be playing a great team and uh you know it's just a lot of fun it's just one of those things it's kind of like the uh i'm trying to think of a great a great way to word it but it's hard for me it's just like christmas every day you know everyone looks forward to christmas everyone looks forward to opening day. It gives you that goose bumps every single time. Then it starts to dry. Yeah, it's like that Christmas

Eve feeling tonight as we get ready for the Santa to be there. It kind of is like Christmas Eve. It is. For us baseball fans, it is. Alright, Kyle. Tell us about your partnership with Yards. Everyone knows you've partnered with them in the Philly Standard Beer, but this is a pretty cool partnership this year because this season when you go yard, beer is on Kyle.

So if people download the app, they could find where in the area they could go to get a complimentary Philly Standard Beer. So every home run you hit, that's free Philly Standard Beer for everyone out there. So tell us about it and why you're partnering with Yards here. You know what? So tell us about it and why you're partnering with Yards here. You know what? Being able to spend with Yards last year and going into this year as well, it's the hometown beer, it's the Philly beer, it's the tailgating beer.

And the more that I can be involved in, obviously, the city, and this is a way just to be able to connect and hopefully have a lot of people having a good time, obviously responsibly having fun. But hopefully the more that we can get people and get them in the yards and helping out, being in a local business and attaching it to some homers. I think it's all great. That's what it's all about.

Trying to be in the community and helping out a local, getting everyone there locally. So I think it's a great thing. And yeah, you know what? You've got to hit some homers and get some free beer out there. Well, it's a great company. Great people down there. And it's really exciting for us. So download the Yards Brewing app. You can find the participating bars. 46 homers, 20,

22, 47 last year. I'm predicting 50 this year, Kyle. So no pressure, but I'm thinking 50 this year. Kyle, last one for you, and we'll let you go. We know you're busy getting ready for tomorrow. Could you just take us inside what it's like to hit a home run at Citizens Bank Park in the postseason? I was watching some highlights this morning of last October,

and there's just something about that place when this thing gets revved up and you guys are back in October. What is it like inside that building when you hit a big fly in October? Yeah, man, you know, there's nothing really like it i mean you know you you talk about when you walk out to the field for opening day and you know you see the fan then obviously you get the postseason and everything's turned up an extra notch just you know every game is you know means just as much as you know the game before the next game you know that day matters uh because it could decide if we're going to move on

or not so um you know stepping into the ballpark you get this extra butterflies extra goosebumps but you know the sense of you, you hear how crazy it is, and it's funny how you just step into the box and all kind of just goes quiet. And then, you know, say if you do run into one and it heads out of the park and, you know, you don't realize how loud it is probably until you're, like, at, like, second base. And you're kind of just looking around, and you see the whole place jumping. And you're like, oh, man, this is what it's about.

This is what you play for. This is the fan base you want to play for every single day. And, yeah, it never gets old. And, you know, I would say that we're really lucky as players to have a fan base like that who rides with us like that to the end. We're looking forward to hopefully getting back there and having a lot of great more moments out there. Well, we are too.

Kyle, man, we appreciate you hopping on. Good luck with everything this season. We'll be watching. We'll be cheering. We'll see you down at the park tomorrow. Thank you, Kyle. Appreciate it, guys. Have a good one.

There he goes. Kyle Schwarber there with Yards. So download the Yards Brewing app when he goes yard. Beers on Kyle. We appreciate Kyle Schwarber joining us there. We'll come back with all your phone calls and the Sirianni stuff, and we'll talk some Phillies. Plus, Phillies tickets for Saturday against the Braves all next on the Midday Show.

Sports Radio 94 WIP.