Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber became the 21st player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a game in a 19-4 rout over the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday night.

Schwarber, who is making a push for the NL MVP Award, is the first Phillie to hit four home runs in a game since Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt did it against the Chicago Cubs on April 17, 1976. Former Phillies outfielder Chuck Klein hit four home runs in a game in 1936, while Ed Delahanty hit four, including two inside the park, in 1896. 

Schwarber's fourth home run of the night, his NL-leading 49th of the year, happened in the bottom of the seventh inning. Schwarber smacked it 108.9 mph off the bat and 407 feet into the stands in right field, according to StatCast. The three-run homer gave the Phillies an 18-4 lead. 

Schwarber also became fifth player ever with four or more home runs and nine or more RBIs in a game, according to MLB.com.

Overall, the Phillies hit seven home runs against the Braves in an offensive barrage in the first game of the series after getting swept by the Mets in New York. Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Max Kepler all went yard against Atlanta.

The game didn't start out pretty for the Phillies. Starting pitcher Aaron Nola allowed three runs in the top of the first inning, but it didn't take long for them to retake the lead.

In his first at-bat, Schwarber hit his first blast of the night, which went 450 feet. By the end of the inning, the Phillies were leading 5-3, and they never trailed again for the rest of the game. Schwarber's other homers came in the fourth and fifth innings.

After a rough first inning, Nola settled down and only allowed one more run for the rest of the game. He went six innings and struck out four batters and gave up one home run.

Schwarber's four home runs against the Braves give him 49 on the year, which is a career-high — and counting — and leads the National League. He only trails Seattle's Cal Raleigh, who has 50 homers so far this season.

Schwarber is getting closer to the Phillies' single-season home run record, which was set in 2006 when first baseman Ryan Howard hit 58 homers. Schwarber is currently projected to tie Howard's record.

Schwarber is the third MLB player to hit four home runs in a game this season. 

Eugenio Suárez, who is now with the Seattle Mariners, hit four against the Braves while he was playing with the Arizona Diamondbacks in April. 

Last month, Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, native, hit four against the Houston Astros. 

Schwarber and the Phillies will continue their series against the Braves on Friday night.