Most significant stories of 2021: Schwarber's homer barrage

As we reach the final week of the year, we're taking a look back at the Nationals' most significant stories of 2021. Some of them are uplifting. Some of them are depressing. All of them were significant in telling the story of the 2021 season. We begin today with one of the most uplifting events of the year: Kyle Schwarber's early-summer home run barrage. ...

When he stepped to the plate to lead off the bottom of the first inning of a June 12 doubleheader at Nationals Park, Kyle Schwarber was the not-so-proud owner of a .218 batting average, .404 slugging percentage, nine homers and 26 RBIs on the season. Yes, he had produced a couple of memorable moments, including a pair of towering walk-off homers, but overall the big slugger's first two-plus months in D.C. had been a real disappointment.

Manager Davey Martinez had an idea, though, something he thought might jump-start both Schwarber and the Nats lineup: He put him in the leadoff spot, hoping a quick blast could set the tone for the game and allow everyone to relax a little bit.

And wouldn't you know it, Schwarber blasted the second pitch Kevin Gausman threw into the second deck in right field for a quick 1-0 lead that set the tone for a 2-0 victory over the Giants.

"That was really quick," Martinez said afterward. "It was kind of nice."

So nice that the skipper decided to make this a regular feature of his lineup. Little could he have known Schwarber would respond with one of the greatest sustained home run surges in baseball history.

Schwarber didn't go deep in the nightcap of the June 12 doubleheader, but he made up for it with two homers the next day. Then he added another the day after that. Then two homers on June 19 against the Mets. Then three more the following afternoon. Then four more during a three-game stretch later that week. Then two more against the Mets in a June 28 makeup game. Then another the next night against the Rays.

Sixteen homers in 18 games, something previously done only by Sammy Sosa in 1998 and Barry Bonds in 2001. Twelve homers in a 10-game stretch, something previously done only by Cleveland's Albert Belle in 1995.

It defied explanation.

"When you're doing something like this, you kind of just sit back and laugh," Schwarber said after a two-homer game in Miami on June 24. "Because you don't want it to end."

The streak brought all kinds of attention to Schwarber, who after getting non-tendered by the Cubs the previous winter was re-establishing himself as one of the game's best power hitters.

His total numbers during the 18-game onslaught: A .348 batting average, .403 on-base percentage, 1.043 slugging percentage, 16 homers, 27 RBIs and a 1.446 OPS that raised his season OPS nearly .200 points to .911.

Schwarber's streak was all the more significant because it played a huge role in the Nationals' resurgent June, catapulting them back into contention after a ragged opening two months to the season. The team closed out the month going 15-4, improving from nine games under to two games over .500, from nine games back to 2 1/2 games back in the National League East.

As the calendar shifted to July, optimism reigned on South Capitol Street. The Nats appeared to be on their way to a magical summer and a pennant race come September. If only that actually came to fruition.

Alas, it all came crashing down, for the Nationals and for Schwarber. In the bottom of the second July 2 against the Dodgers, a couple hours after he had been named National League Player of the Month, he grabbed his right hamstring in agony as he rounded first on a base hit to right-center.

It was, unbeknownst to everyone in that moment, Schwarber's final appearance for the Nationals. He immediately landed on the injured list, and by the time he was healthy enough to play again six weeks later he had been dealt to the Red Sox, one of eight veterans shipped out at the trade deadline after the club collapsed out of contention in July and management decided to embark on a full-scale rebuilding project.

By the time Boston came to D.C. for the final series of the regular season, the Nationals sported a roster bearing no resemblance to the one that won so many games in June. Schwarber was happy to catch up with some former teammates and coaches, and the crowd (which never had the chance to salute him before the trade) showered him with praise at last.

He played only 72 games in a Nats uniform, but he made such an impact in that short amount of time, it felt entirely appropriate for Schwarber to be the center of attention that weekend.

"I definitely tried to make roots here," he said Oct. 1. "I wanted to get involved in the community. I wanted to try to help bring a championship here. I wanted to be myself, and that's me playing hard. And I think the fans (received) that pretty well. I have a lot of respect for the fans here, and the players and the organization."