Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
According to the Nationals, Kyle Schwarber is one of three players, along with Barry Bonds in 2001 and Sammy Sosa in 1998, to hit 15 home runs in a 17-game stretch. According to MLB, Schwarber is the second player, along with Frank Howard in 1968, to hit 11 home runs in a nine-game span. According to Baseball-Reference, Schwarber’s 1.465 OPS batting first makes him the best leadoff hitter of all time.