Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto leaves game after being hit in area of protective cup by foul tip
TORONTO — Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto left Wednesday's game at Toronto in the bottom of the ninth inning after being hit in the area of his protective cup by Bo Bichette's foul tip.
'He's getting checked by the doctor right now,' manager Rob Thomson said of Realmuto after the Phillies lost 2-1 on Alejandro Kirk's game-ending hit . 'It's a pretty good one. He said he's had worse but we'll see. We'll check him out tomorrow.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian Hall to welcome former Blue Jays slugger Bautista and rest of 2025 class
TORONTO - Glancing across the Rogers Centre field to see his name on the stadium's Level of Excellence still leaves former Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista with a 'surreal' feeling. 'It's a good reminder of the time that I spent here, 10 years, it's a long time,' Bautista said. 'A full decade and a lot of good memories and a lot of good times here.' Sporting a white Blue Jays jersey as he took in a recent game with family in a suite at the ballpark, the memories remain strong for one of the franchise's all-time greats. The bat-flip homer in the 2015 playoffs was his signature moment with Toronto but Bautista delivered countless highlights in a Blue Jays uniform. Bautista, who played for eight teams over his 15-year big-league career, will be inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday in St. Marys, Ont. 'I got a call from (Hall director) Scott Crawford and he broke the news to me,' said Bautista, who lives in Tampa, Fla. '(He) kind of caught me off guard, but I was extremely surprised but at the same time humbled and honoured. 'It was a pleasant surprise for sure and it was really exciting.' The Class of 2025 also includes former MLB pitcher Erik Bedard, junior national team head coach Greg Hamilton, and Amanda Asay, a longtime women's national team star. Asay will be inducted posthumously. The Hall's veterans committee has elected former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League legend Arleene Noga and Gerry Snyder, who played a key role in bringing the Expos to Montreal in 1969. Noga and Snyder will be inducted posthumously. Bautista's memorable three-run bat-flip homer came in a wild 53-minute seventh inning in the Jays' 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers. For a team making its playoff return for the first time in 22 years, it was a true 'wow' moment for the current generation of Toronto fans. Bautista also helped anchor the Blue Jays team that returned to the AL Championship Series in 2016. His last season in Toronto came in 2017 and he played for the three teams — the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — in his final MLB campaign in 2018. Bautista hit a club-record 54 homers in 2010, was a six-time all-star and won three Silver Slugger awards. He formally retired in 2023, the year he was added to the Level of Excellence. 'What I'm most proud of is just being available,' Bautista said. 'Being there ready to contribute and being one of those guys that was just grinding.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
‘Never take a day for granted': Myles Straw's trade to Blue Jays was a blessing
TORONTO — Myles Straw had been traded before. It wasn't the first time he watched his phone screen light up with an unexpected ring from a general manager. But this conversation was different. In mid-January, the outfielder picked up a call from Cleveland Guardians GM Chris Antonetti. After Straw spent most of the 2024 season in the minors, he'd been traded to Toronto. He was heading to the Blue Jays alongside international bonus pool money and cash. Then, the Guardians GM added one more thing: 'You'll get to be by your mom now.' Advertisement Just weeks before the trade, Straw's mother, Tasha, had a stroke and small heart attack. The January move placed Straw less than an hour away from his mother's home in Bradenton, Fla., during spring training, just south of Toronto's complex in Dunedin. As Straw spent March battling for a spot on the Blue Jays' 26-man roster, Tasha was often in the stands. Straw could visit his mother whenever and help her through appointments. After one of the hardest years of Straw's baseball career, the trade to Toronto was a blessing — in many ways. 'When I sit back and think about it all, I always tell myself that I feel like things happen for a reason,' Straw said. 'Whether it's good or bad.' The Guardians cut Straw two days before the 2024 season, optioning him to Triple A just a year after he'd won an American League Gold Glove as Cleveland's starting centre fielder. He spent the next five months on buses between minor-league parks, bouncing from Columbus to Toledo to Indianapolis. It wasn't easy to stay positive, Straw said, unsure if he'd ever get back to the big leagues. He leaned on Triple-A teammates like Anthony Gose — the outfielder turned reliever — to instill an optimism that's been rewarded. While the Guardians called up Straw for seven games at the end of last year, the offseason trade gave him a real shot to earn a stable spot on an MLB roster. Only Alan Roden played in more Blue Jays spring contests than Straw. He hit .400, posted an OPS over 1.000 and walked as many times as he struck out in Grapefruit League action. A week before 2025 Opening Day, the Blue Jays told Straw he'd made the MLB team. Through it all, he was with his mother. 'Just whatever I could do to help her be comfortable with what she's dealing with,' Straw said. 'It's all I could ask for.' Tasha had a defibrillator implanted in late May and remains in good spirits as she awaits a heart transplant, Straw said. The mother and son talk nearly every day and Tasha watches every Jays game, following more baseball than ever. When the Blue Jays travelled to Tampa Bay in May, Straw's mother came to one of the contests. A post shared by Myles Straw (@mylesstraw) Straw went hitless in that Tampa contest, a 13-0 loss to the Rays. But on the season, he's proven his worth at the big-league level. At the time, Straw's trade alongside international cash seemed more about the Jays' since-foiled push for free-agent starter Roki Sasaki. But, the outfielder's .286 batting average would be the highest of his career. He's stolen five bases and been a well above-average hitter against lefties. With Daulton Varsho out with a grade one hamstring strain, the speedy outfielder will see regular time in centre against southpaws. He's become a 'quiet spark plug,' manager John Schneider said. Advertisement Straw made his presence felt Thursday when the Blue Jays tagged Jesús Luzardo for eight early runs in a 9-1 win over the Phillies. The Jays moved to four games over .500 (33-29), the furthest above an even record they've been this year. Chris Bassitt threw seven innings of one-run ball, and five Toronto hitters had multihit games, a group that included Straw. 'He's become a little bit of a group favorite,' Schneider said. 'He's professional. He understands his role, understands what guys should do and he's not afraid to speak up. He does a lot of stuff behind the scenes. Really good sense of humor, and I think guys really respect that.' In the past, Straw said he took things for granted. But his mother's health scare was another reminder that nothing is guaranteed. In 2020 spring training, Straw's father, James, died of pancreatic cancer. Last year, Straw went from a Gold Glover with a long-term contract to minor-league parks and long bus rides. He doesn't look at life, or baseball, the same way. 'One day at a time, just enjoy every moment,' Straw said. 'That's really it. I never take a day for granted up here for sure.' (Photo of Myles Straw delivering an RBI double Thursday: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
After hitting ‘rock bottom,' Braves can still salvage their season – if they snap out of it
The Atlanta Braves are 27-34, 11 games back in the NL East, 1 1/2 games behind rebuilding Washington and only 3 1/2 ahead of lowly Miami. After their latest misstep, a blown six-run lead in the ninth inning Thursday against Arizona, their broadcaster and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine said, 'If you were looking for rock bottom, this might be it.' Advertisement The tendency, in this age of overreaction, is to project the Braves as trade-deadline sellers and start listing potential landing spots for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. But through the same date a year ago, the New York Mets were 27-35 and the Houston Astros 28-35, records nearly identical to the Braves' current mark. Both teams finished with nearly 90 wins and reached the postseason. If the Braves fail to ignite, it will be fair to question whether they lost too much of their fabric with the free-agent departures of first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Dansby Swanson and left-hander Max Fried over a four-year span. Whether president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos created too comfortable an environment by awarding so many players extensions. Whether Anthopoulos last offseason should have done more to address his offense and bullpen. But more than 100 games remain. As poorly as the Braves are playing, the recoveries of the 2024 Mets and Astros are testaments to the dangers of passing judgment on a team too soon. So, for that matter, is the example of the 2021 World Series champion Braves, who at this stage of the season were 29-32. The 162-game marathon, combined with an expanded playoff format, allows teams to recover from a bad month or even three. The Braves are unlikely to even consider selling unless they are buried at the All-Star break. Their replacement of third-base coach Matt Tuiasosopo with former manager Fredi Gonzalez on Monday was not a warning shot at manager Brian Snitker, who has led the team to seven straight postseason appearances and is in his 49th year with the organization. No, it was simply a response to two seasons of Tuiasosopo making poor decisions. A change team officials deemed necessary. Snitker isn't blameless. The Braves aren't going to fire him after all he has achieved, but this sure looks like his last season. On Thursday alone, he could have stuck longer with right-hander Grant Holmes rather than start the bullpen carousel by lifting him after 3 1/3 innings. Still, the Braves took their six-run lead into the ninth. At some point, their disappointing performance is on the players, from center fielder Michael Harris II to second baseman Ozzie Albies to closer Raisel Iglesias. Advertisement By this time a year ago, the Mets already had started their turnaround. The Astros got going about two weeks later. But not every club reaches its desired destination. Another projected contender last season, the Texas Rangers, showed how some teams never recover from faulty starts, missing the playoffs one year after winning the World Series. The Braves, if they don't snap out of it, could be this year's Rangers. Their plus-6 run differential indicates their record should be above .500, yet they are seven games under. They have played a major-league-high 25 one-run games, and are only 9-16 in those contests. Even with the deadline offering an opportunity for improvement, an opportunity Anthopoulos seized to catapult his club to a championship in 2021, the strength of the NL this season adds to the degree of difficulty. The Braves need more from their offense, which, before their 10-run eruption Thursday, was tied with the Marlins for 22nd in runs per game. They also need to fix their bullpen, which underwent another shakeup after Thursday's shocking ninth-inning collapse — Daysbel Hernández to the injured list, Scott Blewett designated for assignment and Craig Kimbrel and Dylan Dodd up from Triple A. Yet, for all the Braves' middle-inning maneuvering, the biggest problem remains closer Raisel Iglesias, whose .956 opponents' OPS essentially means he is turning every hitter into Pete Alonso. Not even the highly anticipated returns of right-hander Spencer Strider and right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. altered the Braves' trajectory. Strider is trying to regain his form after missing all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery and nearly a month this season with a strained right hamstring. Acuña, coming off nearly a yearlong absence due to a torn ACL in his left knee, is performing better than the Braves could have expected, batting .333 with four home runs and a 1.056 OPS. Yet the team is 3-9 since his return. Bad breaks are part of this. The loss of right-hander Reynaldo López to shoulder inflammation after one start. The offseason knee surgery that might sideline setup man Joe Jiménez all season. The 80-game suspension to left fielder Jurickson Profar for testing positive for PEDs. Advertisement Well, all teams deal with injuries. The $42 million investment in Profar, based on his outlier campaign in 2024, was always going to be a gamble. And even the regressions of Harris (.590 OPS) and Albies (.658) reflect the volatility in individual performance that is part of the game. The Braves never expected catcher Drake Baldwin and outfielder Eli White to make such positive contributions, either. Early in the offseason, Anthopoulos orchestrated a series of moves to create payroll flexibility, trading designated hitter Jorge Soler, allowing catcher Travis d'Arnaud to depart as a free agent and restructuring the contracts of López and reliever Aaron Bummer. The Braves later lost Fried, right-hander Charlie Morton and reliever A.J. Minter to free agency as well. Profar turned out to be Anthopoulos' only significant addition. And the team, under its Liberty Media ownership, wound up with a lower payroll. Fried might win a Cy Young Award, but the Braves never were going to sign him to the $218 million contract he received from the New York Yankees, and their rotation isn't a problem. Anthopoulos non-tendered Griffin Canning, the pitcher he acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for Soler, and the Mets turned Canning into a potential All-Star. But none of the other players Anthopoulos lost is haunting him. His plan just isn't unfolding the way he envisioned. The way the Braves are constructed, an offense that set records in 2023 should be capable of succeeding with light-hitting Nick Allen at shortstop, just as the Astros once thrived with Martín Maldonado at catcher. A better version of outfielder Jarred Kelenic, an Anthopoulos acquisition from last offseason who earned a demotion at Triple A, surely would help. But the Braves shouldn't need to rely on him, either. Some seasons are like this. Some years it doesn't just work out. The Braves are talented enough to bounce back like they did in 2021, and like the Mets and Astros did last season. But at some point, they've got to show it. And they sure aren't showing it yet. (Top photo of Brian Snitker: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
