Baserunning blunder by JT Realmuto, disastrous game-ending double play kill Phillies' rally in 2-1 loss to Dodgers
The Philadelphia Phillies faced a difficult loss on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the score at 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies had a prime opportunity to tie or win the game with runners on second and third and only one out.
A hard ground ball hit by Brandon Marsh initiated the sequence that ended the rally. Center fielder Justin Crawford was caught in a rundown between third and home after he was forced to hold on contact. While the Dodgers successfully tagged out Crawford for the second out of the inning, the play continued in a chaotic fashion.
JT Realmuto was safe at third base during the initial rundown. However, he made a critical error by retreating toward second base after the tag on Crawford. Mookie Betts fielded the ball and threw to Tommy Edman at second, who tagged out Realmuto to complete a game-ending double play.
The loss marks a frustrating conclusion to a tense pitchers' duel. Zack Wheeler took the loss for Philadelphia, having surrendered a two-run homer to Max Muncy in the fourth inning. Justin Wrobleski earned the win for Los Angeles, pitching 6 1/3 innings and allowing only one run.
This result evens the series between these two National League rivals. Both clubs remain clear contenders for the World Series as the season progresses. A rubber match is set for Wednesday to decide the series winner.