Kyle Schwarber became a perfect fit in Boston, and he’s hopeful to stay with Red Sox: ‘This is a World Series clubhouse’

HOUSTON — Kyle Schwarber seemed like an imperfect fit when the Red Sox acquired him at the trade deadline. But three months later, he wound up being their perfect match.

Two wins away from an improbable World Series berth, the Red Sox lost three consecutive games to the Astros, falling in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series with Friday night’s 5-0 loss. But they likely wouldn’t have got there without Schwarber, whose bat and leadership made a huge difference despite not having a natural positional fit on the roster.

It’s yet to be determined how long Schwarber’s impact will be felt in Boston. He signed a contract last winter with the Nationals that includes an $11.5 million mutual option that needs to be resolved shortly after the World Series. And after an All-Star season between the Nationals and the Red Sox, it seems likely that Schwarber will hit the open market this winter.

Still, though Schwarber will likely command a robust market, a return to Boston is possible. And moments after Friday’s ALCS loss, the 28-year-old expressed his desire to stay with the Red Sox.

“This is definitely a clubhouse that I could see myself wanting to stay in,” Schwarber said. “These guys are amazing. I said this, it’s two World Series teams going at it. This is a World Series clubhouse, and I would love to hopefully see if that opportunity comes back.”

Schwarber had a complicated transition to the Red Sox after they traded pitching prospect Aldo Ramirez for him at the deadline. He was hurt at the time, with a hamstring injury that had kept him out since July 2. And Schwarber, who has primarily played left field in his career, didn’t have a natural positional fit on the team. So, even as he rehabbed, they had him try learning first base.

The Red Sox viewed Schwarber’s bat as worth the risk, even if it took some time to realize that impact. They fell out of first place in the American League East in his absence, but when he finally debuted on Aug. 13, he helped right the ship. From then until the final day of the regular season, he slashed .291/.435/.522 with seven homers, 18 RBI and a .957 OPS over 41 games. His .435 on-base percentage was the third-best in baseball during that span.

Schwarber played sparingly at first as manager Alex Cora tried to make his imperfect puzzle pieces work. But he did everything he could to keep Schwarber’s bat in the lineup. His patient approach had an effect on the rest of the order. And inside the clubhouse, they welcomed him with open arms. Time and time again, Cora praised Schwarber’s leadership.

“Being the new guy coming in, it’s not easy, right?” Schwarber said. “The thing is I never played with any one of these guys before. No previous experience. These guys made it so easy on me just to be able to come in. And me being hurt, like, they could all look at me sideways and think why did we trade for a guy that’s hurt, right?

“I just want to say thank you to the whole group. Starting from A.C. to the coaching staff to the players, to the front office that they all let me be myself. That’s the biggest thing. You’re coming into a really good situation and you just kind of want to mold right in. You don’t want to be a roadblock or an obstacle. You don’t want to feel like the whole group needs to get to know you. It’s like I just want to kind of mold in and go from there.”

Schwarber embraced the pressure of playing in Boston, too, after many criticized the Red Sox’ trade deadline and he went through growing pains at first base. In Game 3 of the Division Series against the Rays, he had a signature moment.

After making a fielding error on a toss to Nathan Eovaldi at first, he bounced back and made the same routine play later in the game. In doing so, he mocked himself, raising his hands in the air, pumped his fist and then tipped his cap to the crowd at Fenway Park in a hilarious celebration.

“You’ve got to be able to make fun of yourself,” Schwarber said afterward.

He quickly became a fan favorite, especially in the city of Waltham. A joke created by the popular Section 10 podcast dubbing Schwarber “Kyle from Waltham” eventually made his way to him. After he hit a grand slam in the Red Sox’ ALCS Game 3 victory over the Astros, Schwarber wore a Waltham High School Hawks T-shirt to his postgame press conference.

“I guess my hometown is Waltham now,” Schwarber, a native of Middletown, Ohio, joked. “So go Hawks.”

Waltham native or not, though, Schwarber certainly made himself at home in three months in Boston. Now, it remains to be seen if his stay is extended.

“We absolutely love having him,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said earlier this month. “He fits perfectly here.”