PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner won his second career National League batting title, Kyle Schwarber led the NL with 56 homers and the league with 132 RBIs and Nick Castellanos capped Philadelphia’s 96-win season with a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning as the Phillies beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Sunday.
Turner and Schwarber have a few days to enjoy the spoils of their outstanding individual seasons before the NL East champion Phillies play again. The Phillies are set to host Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Saturday.
The Phillies will try to stay sharp during the layoff with an intrasquad scrimmage on Wednesday night.
The Phillies finished at 96-66 and are looking to win their first World Series title since 2008. Loaded with All-Stars and an Opening Day payroll that reached almost $284 million, the Phillies have struggled in the postseason the past three seasons, losing in the 2022 World Series, the 2023 NLCS and last year to the New York Mets in the division series.
Turner returned from a three-week layoff because of a hamstring injury and went 0-for-2, yet he still finished a league-best .304 this season. Turner also won a batting title in 2021, when he led the major leagues at .328 forWashingtonand the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s the Phillies’ first batting champion since Richie Ashburn in 1958.
Schwarber, eligible for free agency in the offseason, finished one homer ahead of Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani to lead the NL and four behind Seattle’sCal Raleigh, who led the league with 60.
Schwarber fell two homers shy of matching Ryan Howard for the franchise record of 58 set in 2006. He closed out the regular season No. 3 in walks in the NL at 107.
Cristopher Sanchez struck out eight and tossed two-hit ball over 5 innings — and tipped his cap to a roaring, appreciative crowd — in his final start before he takes the mound in Game 1 of the NLDS.
