Wawa, the popular convenience store chain known for its delicious hoagies, has been a Philadelphia institution for over 50 years, as synonymous with Philly culture as the Liberty Bell and Ben Franklin. “Hoagiefest,” usually spanning most of the summer (this year, the promotion ran from June 20th through July 31st), has long been a local favorite, an annual rite of passage around these parts. Nobody enjoyed Hoagiefest this year more than Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber (who looks like he’s had a meatball hoagie or two in his day), going on a tear with 15 homers in 31 games.
After this was pointed out by Barstool Philly, Wawa, in hopes of keeping the good vibes going with Philadelphia advancing to its first league championship series in a dozen years, decided to run it back with “Schwarberfest,” treating fans to $5 “shortis” (six-inch) and $6 “classic” (10-inch) hoagies for a limited time.
Schwarber kicked off the promotion with a bang, launching a towering, 488-foot blast—easily the longest of his career—to the upper deck of Petco Park in Tuesday night’s Game 1 victory over San Diego, with the Phillies now needing just three more wins to secure what would be their eighth NL pennant and first since 2009.
Schwarber, the National League’s home run leader with 46 during the regular season (he also led the league in strikeouts with 200), entered Tuesday in the midst of a 1-for-22 dry spell, but quickly turned the page on his recent struggles, crushing the hardest-hit playoff home run (119.7-mph exit velocity) of the Statcast era.
The Phillies, who snapped an 11-year playoff drought (longest among National League teams at the time) by claiming the NL’s third and final Wild Card berth, will have a chance to extend their series lead in Game 2, with first pitch scheduled for Wednesday at 4:35 PM ET. Former Cy Young winner Blake Snell and right-handed ace Aaron Nola (whose older brother, ironically enough, plays for the Padres) are the probable starters.
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