Catcher JT Realmuto Extends Hitting Streak, Sets Philadelphia Phillies Record

After legging out a double against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, JT Realmuto now owns the longest hitting streak by any catcher in Philadelphia Phillies franchise history.

May 22, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) hits a two RBI single against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto had a spotty performance at the plate Tuesday night, but he still managed to make history.

Realmuto went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants, failing to either score or drive in a run. Even after his double in the top of the sixth inning, he got thrown out at third on a fielder's choice.

With two outs and a man on third in the top of the 10th, Realmuto grounded out to short. San Francisco went on to win 1-0.

Still, Realmuto did what he needed to do in order to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. In doing so, Realmuto broke the Phillies' record for longest hitting streak by a catcher in franchise history.

And according to The Good Phight's schmenkman, Realmuto joined William Contreras as the only MLB catcher since 2020 to post a hitting streak of 17-plus games.

J.T. Realmuto's hit streak has been extended to 17 games, the longest by a catcher in Phillies franchise history.pic.twitter.com/mOmgIz0yoK

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) May 29, 2024

Realmuto is batting .351 with a .912 OPS during his hitting streak, which dates back to May 4. Before that, he was batting .239 with a .692 OPS.

The 33-year-old catcher is batting .284 with seven home runs, 20 RBI, a .780 OPS and a 1.5 WAR on the whole this season.

Realmuto is in the fourth season of the five-year, $115.5 million contract he signed with Philadelphia back in 2021 – the largest for a catcher in MLB history. The Phillies acquired Realmuto in a trade with the Miami Marlins ahead of the 2019 campaign.

For his career, Realmuto is a .273 hitter with a .785 OPS and a 34.8 WAR. The three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glove winner ranks second among active catchers with 1,188 hits, 598 RBI and 1,982 total bases, as well as fifth with 161 home runs.

Realmuto will have a chance to extend his historic hitting streak in Wednesday's series finale against the Giants. First pitch is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET.

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