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There are few positions in sports that are as tough to play as catcher. Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto showed how fearless you have to be behind the plate during a 2-1 Phillies win on Tuesday night.
Realmuto took a foul ball to the groin in the ninth inning that was 86 mph off the bat. He remained down with a trainer for several minutes but stayed in the ballgame.
Realmuto said he doesn’t remember much from the immediate aftermath of the hit, but he admitted he was in a lot of pain.
“Nothing an ice tub won't fix,” he said, per the Associated Press.
The Phillies needed their gritty catcher to hang tough again as the game went to extra innings. Reliever Seranthony Dominguez induced a groundball with runners on second and third and one out in the top of the 10th inning. Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott fired a perfect throw to nab Brewers rookie Oliver Dunn at the plate.
Stott's throw took Realmuto into the baseline and he collided with Dunn, whose shoulder smashed into the Phillies catcher's head. It was a quicker recovery for Realmuto this time, maybe because the electric Philadelphia crowd started chanting his name with some giving him a standing ovation.
“They've had my back for a lot of years now, so to hear that in that big of a spot, being able to get out of the inning was the most important thing, but that was pretty cool for me to experience that,” Realmuto said.
His teammates recognize Realmuto's willingness to put his body on the line too.
“He's tough, man,” Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos said, per Jeff Kerr. “He's the backbone of our team.”
Castellanos drove in the winning run with a double in the bottom of the 10th.
Phillies finding different ways to win
The Phillies are not only winning nearly 70% of their games, but they're also using different recipes to do it. Tuesday's game was won with solid pitching and some help defensively, J.T. Realmuto's toughness included.
Starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez registered the 36th quality start for the Phillies this season after tossing six innings of one-run ball. Philadelphia's bullpen followed with four scoreless innings, continuing a lights-out stretch in which it's allowed four earned runs in the last 12 games.
On the rare nights the Phillies' pitching staff has an off game, the offense usually picks up the slack. Philadelphia tops the MLB in runs scored with 318 in 62 games, an average of over five runs per contest. Scoring runs in bunches sure makes winning a lot easier.
Philadelphia continues to roll even with injuries to starting shortstop Trea Turner and left fielder Brandon Marsh. Edmundo Sosa has turned himself into an invaluable piece for the Phillies and the National League's best team has gotten contributions from newcomers Whit Merrifield and David Dahl, among others.
It's hard to pinpoint any weaknesses on Philadelphia's roster and the vibes in the clubhouse are among the best in all of sports. The Phillies are putting on a show for the City of Brotherly Love every night and having fun doing it. Tuesday's win gave Philadelphia an MLB-best 26th win at home.
