J.T. Realmuto Named 2021 All-Star, Joins Short Phillies List
By Matt Rappa
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has earned his third career All-Star appearance.
Despite dropping the finale 11-1 on Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies just wrapped up a surprising series victory against the potent San Diego Padres.
And the good news keeps on coming in for the postseason-hopeful squad.
Early Sunday evening, All-Star pitchers and reserves were announced ahead of the 2021 Midsummer Classic to be played next week in Colorado. Two Phils were named to the National League roster — starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and catcher J.T. Realmuto.
For the eight-year veteran catcher, specifically, it marks his third career All-Star nod, and his second in a Phillies uniform, the first back in 2019. Only four other catchers in franchise history have made the All-Star Game multiple times in a Phillies uniform — Mike Lieberthal, Darren Daulton, Bob Boone, and Stan Lopata.
Phillies All-Star Catchers:
- J.T. Realmuto: 2019, 2021
- Carlos Ruiz: 2012
- Mike Lieberthal: 1999, 2000
- Darren Daulton: 1992, 1993, 1995
- Lance Parrish: 1988
- Ozzie Virgil: 1985
- Bob Boone: 1976, 1978, 1979
- Stan Lopata: 1955, 1956
- Smoky Burgess: 1954
- Andy Seminick: 1949
- Jimmy Wilson: 1935
Following Sunday’s game, Realmuto is slashing .263/.359/.446 this season with eight home runs – including one on Sunday – and 31 RBI. Spanning his three-year stint in Philadelphia so far, the two-time Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award winner has logged 44 home runs and 146 RBI across 256 games.
The Phils have not had multiple All-Stars since 2013, when outfielder Domonic Brown and left-hander Cliff Lee partook at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. Wheeler is the first Phillies starting pitcher to make the game since Aaron Nola in 2018.
Realmuto was the lone Phillies All-Star representative back at the 2019 Midsummer Classic in Cleveland, Ohio. That year, he went 0-for-2 with a strikeout, as the National League squad would go on to lose, 4-3. The annual game was not played last season due to the coronavirus pandemic shortening the season to 60 games.
Despite having no All-Star Game in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, MLB announced their “Unofficial All-Stars,” the lineups they believed would have merited the honor last year. Realmuto and Bryce Harper were the two Phillies in the NL lineup.
Signed through the 2025 season, hopefully this is the second of many more All-Star nods for Realmuto in red pinstripes.
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