Phillies Hand Dodgers The first loss as JT Realmuto’s arm the difference in the tent matchup

Filadelphia – A horde of cameras and journalists surrounded Rob Thomson in the shelter of Phillies three hours before the first shot on Friday evening, looking for dramas. The powerful Dodgers were here at Citizens Bank Park. This was the center of the baseball universe. Any soundbite would do. Some of a local television station asked the manager, simply, “Shorn?” An embarrassing break followed.

There must be something that Thomson could learn about his club from this rare April series with serious juice. Right?

“Not much,” said Thomson.

But a few hours later, there was the constant catcher of Thomson who turned and pumped his right fist after nailed Shohei Ohtani to the second base to end the eighth inning. This was Ebullient like Jt Realmuto will ever look at the field. “It was exciting,” said Realmuto. Then, he cut his right thumb as he tried to open a bottle of glass water, bleed on some basic balls and ended the game by throwing out Chris Taylor trying to steal the second base.

Yes, this meant something for Phillies.

“It’s so early in the season. They don’t take too much,” Thomson said after a 3-2 victory before admitting. “But I know that playing Dodgers – playing a good team, really – guys come out. And it’s important for them to beat those teams.”

The program offered a surprise of April: a matchup of the tent between two powers of the National League transporting high wages and even higher expectations. Los Angeles hadn’t lost until Friday. The Phillies are now 6-1; It is only the third time in the last 60 years that they have started so well.

Everyone wants to be the Dodgers. And everyone wants to beat them. The Phillies played them hard last summer, taking five of the six games. Most of them were tense.

“Both teams love to use each other as, how, a barometer or a point of reference,” said Dave Roberts’ manager. “I think there is a bit. There is a lot of familiarity and we have not played in many post -stone games in recent years, but there is a little rivalry with us, which is interesting – and I think in a really good way.”

It is not a traditional rivalry; They are not in the same division and have not met in the post -station since 2009.

“We were good for so long,” said Roberts. “But I also think we play the same way. There is a lot of stars with both ball clubs. I think there is mutual respect. I like to play these guys.”

Before the game, Bryce Harper entertained the large collection of journalists. He bordered the absurdity. “Message to the city?” He asked one of the local television men.

“Excuse me?” Harper said.

Nobody in Philadelphia will read too much in April baseball because they saw the Phillies play better than anyone else for the first three months of last season, just to move on to the post -station. If the Dodgers sweep this weekend, the prevalent conclusion will be: “Let’s see it in October”. The same goes for Dodgers. This is the territory that comes with expectations.

But Harper had thoughts about Dodgers who was willing to share every time during spring training. This time he made an even stronger statement.

“I don’t know if people like this,” Harper said, “but I feel like Only the losers complain of what they are doing. I am a great team, they are a great organization. That’s why the guys want to go there and play. It is a big city to play, of course. I’m in the Mecca of the world of everything, right? From food to nightlife to sports, from dodgers to lakers to anyone. They will continue to take guys. They will continue to pull the guys from this sport. And if this is Bullpen, starting the launch, international players, something like that, they are doing what Dodgers do. “

They can beat the teams in many ways. They would probably have had to beat the Phillies in the series ampri; Both Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández hit the deep fly balls that were probably Homer if the wind had not thrown them down. However, Jesús Luzardo has held two -round dodgers and no exceptional seven inning race.

Jesús Luzardo scored eight in seven inning without score. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)

Los Angeles has more depth than anyone else. The Phillies, at the top of the 3-0, needed six other outs after Luzardo left and showed something without two of their best rescuers-José Alvarado and Orion Kerkering-Spassens.

As soon as.

Matt Strahm, firmly in the phase of the dead arm of spring training since he has lost so much time, recorded two outs in the eighth inning with reduced speed. He also allowed two singles. This prompted Thomson to convene José Ruiz, a middle relief, to face Mookie Betts, who represented the bond race. It was not an optimal matchup for Phillies.

At the third shot by Ruiz, Ohtani rushed to the second base. Realmuto said he surprised him. It was a strong shot; Ohtani had stolen 38 bases a row in the regular season before that moment.

Bryson Stott applies the tag like Jt Realmuto Nabs Shohei Ohtani who tries to steal the second base. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)

The Roman Jordan launched in the ninth place with its fast ball speed. He surrendered a two -throw humerus to Tommy Edman. Will Smith walked. Dodgers are relentless, so the pinch has raced with a veteran utiltyman in the last year of a 60 million dollar contract. Realmuto knew that Chris Taylor would try to steal because Romano is slow to the plate.

Romano has practiced a better step of slide during spring training to discourage the runners, but so far he has not helped much. He launched Max Muncy, a pinch of $ 24 million, a quick ball raised to 96 mph. Romano did it quite quickly to give Realmuto a blow to Taylor. A review by Replay who requested more than two minutes attenuated the excitement.

The safe call to the second base was overturned and the game ended in a strike, launching a double game.

Credit Realmuto with a rescue.

“I mean, the two shots he did were the game changes, really,” said Thomson. “Especially the last.”

Hit them, throw them out, send them at home pic.twitter.com/xldmdntkzc

– Philadelphia Phillies (@phillies) April 5, 2025

The day before, Realmuto had joked about something that Roberts had said after the Dodgers had opened the 8-0 season. “I don’t know,” said Realmuto. “I heard they were unbeatable, so …” He smiled. Realmuto finished the thought with some clichés: the Phillies want to win every game, every game is important, the Dodgers are a great team.

So, they played for two hours and 29 minutes. It was a good baseball. Nobody needs to draw conclusions further.

Someone else just needs to open those bottles of water for Realmuto.

“Yes, I don’t know,” said Realmuto. “We will have to understand something.”

(Top photo of Jordan Romano, Bryce Harper and Jt Realmuto: Emilee Chinan / Getty Images)