Philly Leader

J.T. Realmuto played a pivotal role in the Phillies' victory over the Dodgers, who suffered their first loss of the season. Realmuto was unaware of a thumb injury sustained while opening a water bottle until noticing blood on the baseballs he was handling. He managed the situation by gluing the cut shut before the Phillies claimed a 3-2 win.

“It was exciting,” said Realmuto, after helping Philadelphia defeat the previously undefeated Dodgers, the reigning World Series champions, in front of a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies' victory was marked by a decisive play in the game's final moments, as they removed the potential tying run threat by executing a successful caught-stealing play.

The game concluded with a caught stealing, a rare occurrence since August 2012. A throw from Realmuto to Trea Turner resulted in a call reversal, pronouncing Dodger’s Chris Taylor out at second base. “I wish Hunter would have called him out first, because that would have been a little more exciting. I have to give [Wendelstedt] some crap about that tomorrow,” Realmuto commented, reflecting on the overturned call.

Realmuto also ended the eighth inning by throwing out Shohei Ohtani, snapping his 38 consecutive regular-season stolen base streak. The Dodgers managed three stolen bases during the game but were also caught stealing three times. “Realmuto’s a really good catcher,” acknowledged Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman.

The Phillies' starting pitcher, Jesús Luzardo, delivered an impressive performance, throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out eight batters. “It was probably one of the most well-executed starts I’ve ever had in my career,” Luzardo remarked on his effort, which helped maintain the Phillies' lead.

The Phillies added two more runs in the seventh inning, crucially needing them as the Dodgers attempted a comeback in the ninth with a two-run homer by Edman. Phillies pitcher Jordan Romano, who allowed a home run in the ninth, commented on the game's intensity: “Two pretty good teams going at it... We were pretty pumped up.”

Despite his thumb injury, Realmuto felt no impact on his performance. “I couldn’t even feel it,” he said regarding his ability to make decisive throws during the game.