BOSTON (WEEI) -- It was just about 12:30 a.m. and the lone figure walked from Fenway Park, down Jersey St. and across Boylston, baseball hat pulled slightly down but not enough to disguise the man's bearded face.
Nothing distinguished the figure from whatever late-night stragglers were left from the Red Sox's 12-3 win against the Astros in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Monday evening.
It was just a man walking home. Nothing more, nothing less. It was an image that helped define the beauty of Red Sox first baseman Kyle Schwarber's existence.
A few hours earlier, he was the one who electrified a sea of Boston sports fans with his second-inning grand slam. He was the one who became just the 11th player in MLB history to have at least nine homers and an OPS of .970 or better across 32 career postseason games. And he was the one who may have just cemented his status as best trade deadline pick up in Red Sox history.
He is "Kyle from Waltham," a moniker spawned by the Section 10 Podcast guys, carried over to Schwarber's Wikipedia page -- which for a couple of days incorrectly cited his birthplace as the Massachusetts town -- and finally landed him with the "Waltham Hawks" T-shirt that he chose to wear at his postgame press conference.
"Waltham, I guess that's where I'm from according to people from Boston," Schwarber said with a chuckle. "I guess Middletown, Ohio, is not a real place anymore. No, I got it -- I think (Section 10 co-host Jared) Carrabis got it, sent it into the locker room. I think the first time I saw it was either him or MLB posted something, and everyone was asking me what's Kyle from Waltham? I'm, like, what? I'm like, I'm from Middletown, Ohio."
Sorry, Middletown. For the time being, Schwarber has fit too perfectly to give back to Ohio. These last few months have cemented that notion since the Red Sox acquired him from the Nationals in late July.
"When we traded for him, we were in a really good position, but he was hurt, and then there were some setbacks after we got him, and we weren't able to play him right away, right?" Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "I always said that it was like for Christmas you're on vacation with your kids and everything, and then all the gifts are under the tree, but they're back home, and then for us, our guy, we knew he was going to have an impact, but we had to be patient. Well, we were patient. We didn't play good baseball. The Rays played great, and then they did what they did, and they won the -- they kind of, like, won the division in August.
"But he has been amazing for us. Not only on the field but in the clubhouse, in the meetings, the way he talks the game, and it's a different approach for us. We were very aggressive the whole season. We were expanding. We didn't walk too much, and when he got here and when he started playing, it was different. It's a different at-bat, and other guys have followed his lead, and right now, like I said, this is the best I've seen this team this season offensively."
The clubhouse. The fearlessness. The down-to-earth presentation. And the hits, particularly those landing over the fence. They have all helped define Schwarber's existence. And perhaps a World Series title will officially tie it all together, leading to a parade route's worth of "Re-sign Schwarber" signs.
For the time being, the conversation that will truly separate Schwarber is where he historically ranks among other midseason additions the Red Sox have made during previous postseason runs.
Who has been better? More impactful? A better fit?
Dave Henderson (1986). Orlando Cabrera (2004). Jason Bay (2008). Nathan Eovaldi and Steve Pearce (2018). All are in the conversation, and each had a significant say in some notable successes.
But there really hasn't been anything like Schwarber.
He's the larger than life player who blends into Boylston. What could be better?
"These are moments that you are never going to forget as a player," Schwarber said after the Red Sox took a 2-1 lead in the ALCS. "This is what we live for. We live to be in the postseason. When you get that first taste, that first experience, you want to keep coming. You want more. It's an addicting feeling, and especially in this place where it's just rocking the whole time and it's rowdy and they're in tune to every single pitch, and every run matters. It's something that you're not going to forget, that's for sure."