The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a demoralizing 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, sealed by a bewildering baserunning blunder from catcher J.T. Realmuto. The critical error in the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Phillies trailing by one run and runners on second and third with one out, resulted in a rare 5-2-6-4 double play that ended the game.
As Brandon Marsh grounded into a force out at third base, Justin Crawford was caught in a rundown. While Crawford hesitated, Realmuto advanced to third. However, when Crawford began to move back toward third, Realmuto inexplicably retreated towards second base. Phillies broadcaster John Kruk expressed his dismay on the telecast, exclaiming, “Oh, no J.T.”
Shortstop Mookie Betts tagged Crawford for the second out and then threw to second baseman Tommy Edman, who tagged out Realmuto to end the contest. Play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy called it, “A baserunning blunder by the Phils on a couple of levels.”
Moment of the game:
Realmuto acknowledged his mistake after the game. "It was just a bad baserunning play, really," he told reporters. "Once Crawford gets in that rundown there, I'm on third base; there's no reason for me to go back to second. Just a lack of judgment. Can't get two outs on that play. Just got to stay in scoring position. It was just a lapse in judgment. I thought Crawford could get out of the rundown for some reason."
The loss dropped the Phillies' record to 56-46, keeping them in a tight battle for the NL East title. The Dodgers, meanwhile, improved to 64-38, continuing their strong season as baseball's top team.