Realmuto accepts blame after baserunning error sinks Phillies in ninth

The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, a loss sealed by a baserunning error in the bottom of the ninth inning. The outcome was determined when catcher J.T. Realmuto was thrown out attempting to retreat to second base during a rundown involving pinch runner Justin Crawford, resulting in a 5-2-6-4 double play that ended the game.

The rally began with Alec Bohm singling to start the ninth inning, prompting manager Rob Thomson to substitute him for pinch runner Justin Crawford. Edmundo Sosa struck out next, after which Realmuto doubled to left field, advancing Crawford to third base. Brandon Marsh then hit a ground ball, described as a "squibber," to third base, initiating the sequence that would end the contest.

During the ensuing rundown, Crawford broke for home and was tagged out, while Realmuto, who had reached third base, attempted to retreat to second. Realmuto was thrown out by the third baseman, completing the double play that preserved the Dodgers' lead. The Associated AP contributed to the reporting of this event.

Realmuto publicly accepted responsibility for the mistake in the post-game press conference. He stated there was "no reason for me to go back [to] second" and described the incident as a "bad baserunning play." The error effectively spoiled a strong performance by Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who allowed two runs over seven innings, struck out nine batters, and issued no walks.

This was Wheeler’s first start since he opted not to accept an invitation to the MLB All-Star Game. The contest itself was delayed for 1 hour and 20 minutes due to rain, with persistent drizzle affecting play from the third inning onwards.