Despite an immediate surge under Don Mattingly that has given this Philadelphia Phillies core another shot at greatness, there's always something tugging fans away from believing lurking just below the surface. On Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, that powerhouse doubt broke through in the form of JT Realmuto's mad dash back to where he came from for no apparent reason.
If there's any solace in this moment - there isn't, really - it's that if Realmuto had simply behaved normally on Brandon Marsh's chopper to third, nothing would've been guaranteed for the Phillies. Marsh's dribbler with runners on second and third and one out with the Phils trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth was still a killer. It took the possibility of a productive out off the menu. In order to tie the game, they'd need a two-out hit. It could've ended in heartbreak seconds later.
But Realmuto, a veteran who knows better - who knew better the day he turned 12 - still made the moment irredeemably worse.
Inside every Phillies fan, there are two wolves. There's the John Kruk Wolf, who offhandedly commented, "That doesn't matter" as JP Crawford was caught off third, having no idea what was to come. And there's the Larry Andersen Wolf on the radio call, exasperated and beaten down from decades of this nonsense as soon as he saw what was developing.
"OH NO, JT! Oh no."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 22, 2026
John Kruk as J.T. Realmuto runs the Phillies out of the game vs. the Dodgers on a ridiculous double play. ⚾️🎙️ #MLB pic.twitter.com/9HUVUmy9vD
Don Mattingly's managerial greatness couldn't comprehend Phillies' JT Realmuto gaffe
Mattingly said a few weeks ago that he'd be interested in returning to the Phillies next season, if asked, as opposed to watching Alex Cora take over his team.
Is that still the case on July 22, in the wake of Mattingly musing aloud, "I don't know what JT was thinking there, honestly"?
“I don’t know what JT (Realmuto) was thinking there, honestly…”
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) July 22, 2026
Don Mattingly on the final play of the game. Mattingly confirmed that Crawford was running on contact in that spot. pic.twitter.com/dAeraj6erG
Though the Mattingly Era has been a refreshing change after Rob Thomson's regime became stale, and has resulted in plenty of the positives of player empowerment, there's still a distinct sense that wonky things happen sometimes because the players don't feel much pressure from leadership.
Monday's victory featured enough Trea Turner sloppiness to launch 1,000 ships. Tuesday's loss felt like a Turner redemption story until one of his most experienced teammates took a dive, glitching out video game-style at the most inopportune time possible.
Whether you were in the broadcast booth, the dugout, or at McGillin's, you were left in equal stages of disbelief by one of the most experienced teams in baseball.
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