(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
The defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies appear to finally be finding their groove.
Although they lost in heartbreaking fashion on Monday night to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they have won seven of their last 10 games.
The major bright spot for the Phillies on Monday in the midst of their tough loss was catcher J.T. Realmuto.
Realmuto hit for the cycle in Monday night’s loss to Arizona, and in doing so, he joined some elite company.
The veteran catcher has also homered in an All-Star Game and hit an inside-the-park home run in the postseason.
Before Realmuto, only Lou Gehrig had accomplished that feat, per OptaSTATS.
In his career, J.T. Realmuto of the @Phillies has:
– homered in the All-Star Game (2021)
– hit an inside-the-park homer in the postseason (2022)
– hit for the cycle (2023)
Only one other player in MLB history has accomplished all 3 of those feats: Lou Gehrig. pic.twitter.com/or0qlE1leG
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 13, 2023
Realmuto also became the first Phillies player to hit for the cycle since David Bell had accomplished that feat against the Montreal Expos all the way back in 2004.
Bell is now the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
Realmuto is the first catcher to hit for the cycle since George Kottaras did it with the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2011.
He managed to bump his batting average up to .256 and his OPS up to .764 with his unforgettable night.
Realmuto also now has six home runs and 24 RBI on the season.
The Phillies’ loss dropped them to 32-34 on the season, but Realmuto was the story of the night.
His ninth-inning double secured his cycle, and when he reached second base, he gave his teammates in the Phillies dugout two thumbs up as they congratulated him on his accomplishment.
It was at that moment that he joined Gehrig in elite company as the only player to homer in an All-Star Game, hit an inside-the-parker in the postseason, and later hit for the cycle.
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