Latest news with #JTRealmuto
Reuters
3 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Phillies grab lead late, hold off Padres for road win
July 13 - JT Realmuto's RBI double in the top of the eighth inning on Sunday snapped a 1-1 tie and lifted the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres. Bryce Harper started the winning rally by grounding a one-out double down the left-field line against Adrian Morejon (7-4). David Morgan then came on in relief and fanned Nick Castellanos but fell behind Realmuto 3-1 before hanging a slider that Realmuto drilled to the wall in left-center. Cristopher Sanchez (8-2) earned the win by pitching 7 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and one run while walking three and striking out six. Orion Kerkering got the last two outs of the eighth, and Matt Strahm pitched the ninth for his sixth save. Strahm worked around a leadoff walk to pinch-hitter Jake Cronenworth, who moved to second on Bryce Johnson's bunt. Following a two-out intentional walk to Fernando Tatis Jr., Strahm induced a fly-out from Luis Arraez to end the game. San Diego starter Nick Pivetta was dominant in 6 2/3 innings of work, yielding only three hits and an unearned run with two walks and eight strikeouts. Pivetta has permitted just one earned run in his last four starts, covering 25 1/3 innings. Two errors allowed Philadelphia to take a 1-0 lead in the first. After Harper coaxed a two-out walk, Castellanos reached via a throwing error by third baseman Manny Machado. After Realmuto legged out an infield single, Arraez made a high throw to Pivetta covering first on Bryson Stott's grounder, allowing Harper to score. Sanchez nursed the lead until the sixth, when the Padres tied it. Machado and Xander Bogaerts led off with singles, and both advanced on a Jackson Merrill bunt. Jose Iglesias drove in Machado with a single off Stott's glove at second, but Sanchez induced a double-play grounder from Luis Campusano to keep the game even. San Diego loaded the bases with two outs in the first on a Tatis single, followed by two-out walks to Bogaerts and Merrill. However, Sanchez used three changeups to strike out Iglesias and quash the threat. --Field Level Media
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Phillies Left-Hander Snubbed Once Again After Latest ASG Announcement
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Cristopher Sanchez has very quietly been not only one of the best left-handed pitchers this season, but one of the best starting pitchers all together. Prior to his scheduled start on Sunday, Sanchez was 7-2 with a 2.59 ERA and 116 strikeouts across 18 starts and 107 2/3 innings pitched. Those are no doubt All-Star caliber numbers to most, but evidently not good for the folks that make the decisions on All-Star Game replacements. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Cristopher Sánchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the second inning at Oracle Park on July 07, 2025 in San... SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: Cristopher Sánchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the second inning at Oracle Park on July 07, 2025 in San Francisco, California. More Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Despite his outstanding numbers, Sanchez was once again left out of the All-Star Game. It was announced late Friday night that Milwaukee Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski would be replacing Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd in the game. Misiorowski has been stellar so far, but he has made just five career starts at the major league level. It feels that his popularity among baseball fans was the sole reason for his selection over a proven pitcher such as Sanchez. Brewers rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski has been named to the National League All-Star team ⭐ His five career games are the fewest ever by a player selected for the All-Star Game 😳 — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 12, 2025 Several of Sanchez's teammates, specifically Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos and JT Realmuto were very outspoken about the decision to add Misiorowski over Sanchez. "Nothing against the Misiorowski kid, but those two are deserving of being on the team in the first place," said Realmuto per Matt Gelb of The Athletic, when speaking about Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. "It's turning into the Savannah Bananas," added Castellanos, per Gelb. "That's (expletive) terrible," Turner was quoted as saying. "It's not the All-Star Game in the sense that the best players go there. It's whoever sells the most tickets or has been put on social media the most." A Brewers rookie with five starts has made the NL All-Star team. And the Phillies are not happy about it. 'What a joke.'@MattGelb on Kyle Schwarber being the only Phillies player who will actually go to the Midsummer Classic ⤵️ — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 12, 2025 It's certainly safe to say that the Phillies have the back of their deserved All-Star Game participant and are not afraid to let it be known exactly how they feel. Philadelphia and Milwaukee do match up again this season in a three-game series beginning Sep. 1 in Milwaukee. The most intriguing possibility would be for Sanchez and Misiorowski to match up on the mound in one of the three games. More MLB: Rental Infielders 'Better Target' for Yankees Due to D.J. LeMahieu Contract
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ranger Suarez's historic run for Phillies draws high JT Realmuto praise
The post Ranger Suarez's historic run for Phillies draws high JT Realmuto praise appeared first on ClutchPoints. In a season filled with standout performances from the Phillies' rotation, Ranger Suárez continues to separate himself as one of the most dominant arms in baseball. Advertisement The left-hander added another gem to his resume Sunday afternoon, delivering seven innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in a 2-1 win over the Braves at Truist Park. With the win, Suárez improved to 7-2 on the season and lowered his ERA to a pristine 2.00. It was his tenth consecutive quality start, a stretch during which he's posted an absurd 1.19 ERA — the lowest by a Phillies pitcher over a 10-start span since Cliff Lee in 2011. Only Roy Oswalt (2010) and Steve Carlton (1972) have achieved similar numbers in franchise history since the mound was lowered in 1969. 'I think this is as close to, if not the best, I've felt pitching,' Suárez said postgame via interpreter Diego D'Aniello. Manager Rob Thomson echoed that sentiment without hesitation: 'I think he's pitching better than I've ever seen him pitch,' he said. Advertisement Ranger Suarez continues dominant stretch as Phillies outduel Braves Erik Williams-Imagn Images J.T. Realmuto, who caught Suárez's masterpiece, gave a detailed breakdown of his starter's dominance. 'The way he's been able to manipulate the baseball, mix pitches, and attack hitters — he's doing everything you want a pitcher to do to be successful,' Realmuto said. 'It feels very similar to what he was doing last year.' That might be underselling it. Even at Suárez's peak in 2024, his best 10-game stretch came with a 1.29 ERA — slightly higher than what he's doing now. His lone mistake Sunday was a second-inning sinker that Sean Murphy turned into a 451-foot solo homer. Other than that, Atlanta barely sniffed a scoring chance. Advertisement Suárez got the run support he needed in the fifth inning. Bryson Stott led off with a single, and Otto Kemp ripped an RBI double to the corner in left. Kemp then scored what turned out to be the game-winner on a Trea Turner sac fly. The Braves threatened in the ninth, putting runners on the corners with two outs. But Matt Strahm closed the door, getting Stuart Fairchild to fly out to center to secure his fifth save of the year. Philadelphia's offense hasn't exactly been clicking lately. In fact, outside of Friday's 13-run outburst, the Phils managed just four runs in the other five games on their recent 2-4 road trip. But the starting pitching — especially Suárez — continues to hold the line. Since Suárez's dominant stretch began on May 10, he owns the best ERA in baseball. Teammate Zack Wheeler is second at 1.50, and Cristopher Sánchez (2.72 ERA) isn't far behind. The Phillies are the only team in the league with three starters who have sub-2.80 ERAs and at least 10 starts apiece. Advertisement 'They've done a good job of keeping us in games,' Realmuto said. 'Hopefully the offense starts heating up and we can give them a little more breathing room.' For now, Suárez's brilliance is more than enough. Related: Phillies' Bryce Harper gets live pitching update amid injury rehab Related: Phillies' Kyle Schwarber drops 'complete hitter' truth bomb on standout 2025 season
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies Expected to Be 'Aggressive Buyers' At MLB Trade Deadline
Phillies Expected to Be 'Aggressive Buyers' At MLB Trade Deadline originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Phillies have been on an absolute tear in the last few weeks, sitting atop the NL East while approaching the top of MLB standings with a 47-32 record. Advertisement According to an article by The Athletic's Chad Jennings, Aaron Gleeman, and Tim Britton, Philadelphia should be "aggressive buyers" with the MLB Trade Deadline looming. "The Phillies have been in the championship mix for four years now, and the clock's ticking to finally win one," the trio wrote. "An outfielder? A closer? A third baseman? All of the above? The Phillies should be as committed as anyone to building a roster with a chance." The team's roster is filled to the brim with veteran players, and their window is now. That is why Jennings, Gleeman, and Britton are so adamant that the Phillies and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski need to be aggressive at the deadline J.T. Realmuto are approaching free agency, while Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are playing their age-32 seasons, and Zack Wheeler has already turned 35," the article says. Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Max Kepler (17) celebrates with teammates after the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Ross-Imagn Images "Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are approaching free agency, while Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are playing their age-32 seasons, and Zack Wheeler has already turned 35," the article says. Advertisement Considering that Nick Castellanos is 33 and players like Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh are in the prime of their careers, the Phillies should know what they have with their roster. Being "aggressive buyers" means sacrificing prospects and younger talent for players who can contribute to a World Series run. Dombrowski has a history of making trades, and particularly big ones. Expect a move, or multiple. Standing pat with a struggling bullpen, which has slightly improved during the hot streak, and mediocre defense risks wasting a win-now roster. Related: Phillies Predicted To Target Star RHP To Help Leaky Bullpen This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez developed MLB's most devastating changeup
Aaron Nola has delivered more than 4,000 changeups in his decade as a starter for the Philadelphia Phillies. Yet last week, as he watched Cristopher Sánchez bait the Miami Marlins with that pitch, Nola had to learn more. There are ordinary changeups, and then there are Sánchez changeups. 'I was actually asking JT about it on the bench in Miami,' Nola said, referring to JT Realmuto, the starting catcher who was off that night. 'Because, I mean, we know how good it is — but what makes it (so that) every single time he throws it, the guys are so out in front? They're swinging and missing or hitting it off the very end of the bat — like, every time. He said it looks exactly like the fastball, but it just dies.' Advertisement As a tall, lanky lefty with a killer changeup, Sánchez is an heir to Cole Hamels, the World Series' most valuable player in 2008, the last time the Phillies won a title. Hamels once described his signature pitch the same way Realmuto explained Sánchez's. 'Fastballs are strong, changeups are dead,' Hamels said. 'So if you can grasp that concept of how to control and deaden something in your body, then you're able to get the basic idea.' Sánchez gets it. At 28, he is far behind Hamels' pace, career-wise — Sánchez made only one major-league start before his 25th birthday, while Hamels had made 90 by that age, October included. But Hamels learned his changeup in high school; Sánchez didn't have a good one until he'd already arrived in the majors. Sánchez grew up in the Dominican Republic, enchanted by his countryman Pedro Martinez, who retired when Sánchez was 12. Sánchez did not take note of the changeup and soon gravitated to Aroldis Chapman, a fellow left-hander renowned for his heat. That is the approach Sánchez took as a prospect with the Tampa Bay Rays. 'In the minor leagues, it was more like throwing hard, throwing the fastball a lot,' Sánchez said last weekend, through an interpreter. 'It wasn't like it is now, like I truly understand what it is to be a pitcher, and what it takes.' Sánchez had a rudimentary changeup before he reached the majors on June 6, 2021 (a date tattooed, with an MLB logo, on his right wrist), but wanted a better version. While playing catch a year later, he said, he found that a slight modification to his sinker was all he needed. For the sinker, Sánchez grips the seams with his index and middle fingers. For the changeup, he shifts the index finger to the side and lets his middle and ring fingers do the work. With the dominant index finger off the ball, Sánchez got the deadening effect he needed. Advertisement Now, he throws the changeup nearly 36 percent of the time, second only to Kyle Hendricks of the Los Angeles Angels. But Hendricks is a soft-tosser; Sánchez pairs his 86 mph changeup with a sinker at 95. 'The velocity of his fastball, that helps the changeup,' Nola said. 'But I think, too, it's just the spin of his sinker and his changeup are the exact same, which makes it even harder. And he's got such good arm action, so his arm speed is about the same as (it is for) his fastball.' The changeup makes Sánchez a different pitcher than the one the Rays signed from the Dominican Republic for $65,000 in 2013. Even so, while the Rays deserve credit for their ingenuity with pitchers, they make mistakes, too. In November 2019, at the deadline for setting their 40-man roster, the Rays added five players — Vidal Bruján, Jake Cronenworth, Lucius Fox, Ronaldo Hernández and Kevin Padlo — but not Sánchez. Rather than lose him in the Rule 5 draft, the Rays traded Sánchez to the Phillies for Curtis Mead, a promising infielder from Australia who did not need to be protected. '(Sánchez) is a great athlete and he was very projectable,' Erik Neander, the Rays' president of baseball operations, said this week. 'His development required patience, and sometimes patience can be stressed by 40-man roster timelines and related considerations. We had an opportunity to acquire a bat we really like in Curtis Mead that also alleviated roster-related pressures, and that's the path we chose.' Sánchez had mostly struggled with the Rays until the 2019 season, when he posted a 2.26 ERA in 24 games, all but one of which were in Class A. The Phillies, under former general manager Matt Klentak, were attracted by Sánchez's 6-foot-6 frame and a fastball that touched 98 mph. 'It was very surprising for me,' Sánchez said. 'A lot of rumors (were) going around, and even my agents told me the team was going to do everything to protect me. And then that happened.' Advertisement Mead, 24, is a valuable utility infielder for the Rays. However, only one of the protected prospects has had much of a career — Cronenworth, with the San Diego Padres — while Sánchez has quietly become one of baseball's best starters. His 3.17 ERA ranks 13th among the 56 pitchers with at least 40 starts since the beginning of 2024, and his repertoire makes him hard to counter. 'He's so good against lefties, it makes you put the righties in there — but then his changeup's so devastating to them,' reliever Matt Strahm said. 'So it's a great equalizer for the right-handed batters. And I've never talked to him about it, but I feel like sometimes when he shows up to the yard and sees all righties, he's probably just salivating.' Sánchez rarely throws his changeup to lefties, but when he does, they seldom hit it (.143). And right-handers are virtually helpless, at .128. He has not allowed a homer on a changeup this season, and surrendered just two last year: to Atlanta's Matt Olson in August and the New York Mets' Mark Vientos in the playoffs. 'The whiff on it, the chase on it, the weak contact — it's in the upper echelon of pitch types in Major League Baseball,' Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said. 'He's really tall, so if he were at a really high slot, he'd probably maximize the vertical approach. But he's in a nice sweet spot where he's tall and throwing from a low three-quarters slot, so the movement of the pitch now is tremendous.' Sánchez is still wiry, but reported to spring training at 205 pounds, up 20 from the end of last season. The added strength has made his stuff sharper, he said, and the contract he signed last June has eased his mind. This is the start of a four-year, $22.5 million deal, with club options ($14 million in 2029 and $15 million in 2030) that would buy out two years of free agency. 'Obviously, it's not the best contract in the world; it's not the worst one, either,' Sánchez said. 'But I'm much calmer. I'm focusing more on baseball right now, so it's allowed me to stay focused on my career and give my best here.' When it comes to the changeup, Sánchez's best might just be the best of all. (Top photo of Cristopher Sánchez: Michael Chisholm / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
