Trea Turner returned to the Philadelphia Phillies lineup on Sunday and completed the game healthy, securing a batting title in the process. The Phillies ended their 2025 regular season with a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings at Citizens Bank Park. With this victory, they are set to face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Cincinnati Reds in the National League Division Series, starting Saturday.
Sunday’s game was largely without playoff implications for Philadelphia, aside from Turner’s return after missing time due to a right hamstring strain suffered on September 7 in Miami. Turner played five innings as planned, going 0-for-2 before leaving the game.
Despite limited action in his final appearance of the regular season, Turner concluded with a .304 batting average, along with 31 doubles, seven triples, 15 home runs, 69 RBIs, 94 runs scored, and 36 stolen bases. His on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) was .812. According to FanGraphs, he finished sixth among all Major League players and third in the National League with a Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 6.7.
Turner became the first Phillies player since Richie Ashburn in 1958 to win a batting title. “I think it’s cool,” Turner said. “I think only one guy gets it in each league, which makes it tough. You can’t vote on it, stuff like that. It makes it cool. I think the ERA title and batting title are cool awards. I think it just means you had a consistent year, a good year. It’s hard to compete with 150 hitters or however many there are. It’s rewarding.”
This season, Turner was also notable for being the only player in the National League to hit .300 or better; six players reached that mark in the American League.
Asked about why reaching .300 has become more difficult for hitters today, Turner responded: “Everyone throws 100 [mph]. Everyone has six pitches. Nobody knows where the ball is going. There’s a lot of reasons. Defenses are way better than they’ve ever been. You know, if you’re a defender now and you don’t make plays, you get exposed. So, to me, it makes a lot of sense. You can have an average pitcher throwing 95 and have six pitches, and you’ve got to go up there and be ready for all of them.
“I know why, but I don’t know why nobody else does.”
Looking ahead to Game 1 of the Division Series where he will lead off and play shortstop for Philadelphia, Turner said his hamstring did not get fully tested during Sunday’s game but indicated caution about pushing himself unnecessarily: “I knew if I was going to hit a ground ball somewhere, I wasn’t going to do anything stupid,” he said. “Today was more about getting out there, just kind of feeling it again. More about seeing pitches and being on defense. I didn’t really get anything on defense, but the at-bats felt good. I knew if I hit something, I wasn’t going to be going crazy, like I could have.”
When asked if he would be able to push himself harder when needed in Game 1 of the playoffs: “Yeah, that’s what I’m hoping for, for sure,” Turner said.
