Is it possible that a convenience store promotion helped break Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber out of a postseason slump?
The numbers seem to suggest that’s exactly what happened.
Prior to the start of the National League Championship Series, Wawa announced #Schwarberfest, a spinoff of its Hoagiefest promotion earlier in the season. Customers could get $5 Shortis and $6 Classics by ordering and paying through the Wawa app.
The promotion paid almost immediate dividends for Schwarber and the Phillies — and presumably Wawa.
In the first two rounds of the playoffs, Schwarber struggled mightily at the plate. He went 0-for-7 in two games against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Wild Card series, then went just 1-for-13 against the Atlanta Braves in the NL Divisional Series.
But just a couple of hours after Wawa announced #Schwarberfest, this season’s National League’s home run leader came to life. Schwarber went 2-for-3, including a monstrous solo home run off Yu Darvish in the sixth inning of the Phillies 2-0 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLCS.
Schwarber went 0-for-3 in a Game 2 loss — the only game the Phillies didn’t win in the NLCS. But he bounced back with a homer in both Game 3 and Game 4.
Kyle Schwarber’s NLCS stats
- Game 1: 2-for-3, HR, RBI, BB, R, SO
- Game 2: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, SB
- Game 3: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, R, SO
- Game 4: 2-for-4, HR, RBI, 3 R, BB, SO
- Game 5: 0-for-1, R, 3 BB, SB
After going 1-for-20 in the Phillies’ first six games of the postseason, Schwarber went 6-for-15 with three home runs, four RBIs and six walks during the NLCS (and #Schwarberfest).
The bump in Schwarber’s production didn’t go unnoticed by teammate Bryce Harper.
The good news for Schwarber and the Phillies: Wawa has extended #Schwarberfest through the World Series. The Phillies take on the American League champion Houston Astros in the best-of-7 series which begins Friday in Houston.
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Schwarber hit well during another Wawa promotion this season
This isn’t the first time that Schwarber has hit well during a Wawa promotion. During the chain’s Hoagiefest promotion this summer, Schwarber hit 15 of his NL-best 46 homers, which led some to call for its return in the postseason.
