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PHOENIX — Philadelphia Phillies all-star catcher JT Realmuto knew he’d put himself in the record book Monday night, but as much as he wanted to celebrate the feat, he didn’t even ask about historic baseball at Chase Field.
He became the first Phillies player since David Bell in 2004 to bat for the cycle, only the 17th catcher in baseball history to achieve that rarity, and even joined Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig in a baseball Trivia, but ended up answering more questions about the Arizona Diamondbacks’ third-inning bench-clearing incident than the cycle.
“There was a lot going on,” Realmuto said after the Phillies lost 9-8 to the Diamondbacks. “Bittersweet.”
Realmuto, who along with Gehrig was the only player in baseball history to hit a home run in an All-Star game, hit a home run in the park in the postseason, according to OptaStats, beating a cycle behind his first for the entire cycle both bats. He hit a home run in the second inning and hit a triple in the third. He hit a single in the fifth inning, and after walking in the seventh, hit a double on the left midfield wall in the ninth inning.
He drove to second base, threw his arms in the air and gave both thumbs up to his cheering teammates, who were asking the umpire for the baseball.
Story.
“It kind of sucks, to be honest, it’s obviously a cool performance,” said Realmuto, “but it’s tough because we lost.”
The cycle was overshadowed by excitement in the third inning when Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo charged home plate umpire Vic Carapazza after rookie sensation Corbin Carroll was hit by an inside throw for the second time, Phillies starter Matt Strahm had thrown. Lovullo thought it was on purpose and Realmuto argued on Strahm’s behalf that he was merely trying to keep the ball inside.
“There was no way we were trying to beat him and put one of the fastest players in baseball on base,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “It’s not me. It’s not our club.”
Realmuto tried to argue the same point when Lovullo seemingly snapped at Realmuto, turned around and then said something again. The Phillies were furious that Lovullo confronted Realmuto.
“It looked a lot worse on the video than it actually was,” Realmuto said. “He didn’t challenge me at all. He supported his player. At one point he said, “I’ll do the same for you.” If you’re on my team, I’ll support you. …’
“It wasn’t on purpose. We’re trying to get him out. That’s all that’s happening here. We have no history with him. There’s no reason for us to attack him. We’re trying to win a baseball game. “It’s unfortunate that he got hit the first time but it wouldn’t change how we pitched him the second time.”
Lovullo has been sent off, cautioned and could face a one-game ban for facing an opposing player.
“I have the utmost respect for JT Realmuto,” said Lovullo. “He’s a great catcher. He’s a great player in this league. I know what it looked like from my level. I protect our player and he protects his pitcher. It was just a disagreement.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I knew I had no right to go out there.”
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The benches were cleared during the argument, D-Backs infielder Josh Rojas was sent off, Strahm was beside himself with cautions, and next the D-Backs turned a 5-1 deficit into a 9-5 Guide.
“It definitely affected the rest of Strahm’s performance,” Realmuto said, “because you don’t want to hit anyone.” They don’t want Strahm to be kicked out and suspended. “So he had to pitch a little differently.”
Who knows if there will still be some bitterness from the incident, but for Realmuto, despite losing, it’s a night to remember forever and one day he will celebrate with his team-mates.
“Of course it’s a great achievement for him,” said Strahm. “It’s a shame we couldn’t get a win to celebrate it a little bit better. But what he does, I’ll show him in front of him. He’s an incredible player. I don’t know if anyone catches that many [games] “The way this guy does it, and if he’s doing what he’s doing in the box and even on the basepaths, he’s basically a freak athlete.”
And now for a piece of Phillies history.
Follow Bob Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale.