Realmuto's 81% ABS Accuracy Seals Phillies' 4-3 Game 2 Win

Q: How did J.T. Realmuto’s final ABS challenge turn a Phillies comeback into MLB postseason history against the Braves?

J.T. Realmuto’s final ABS challenge ended the game itself and made it historic. In the bottom of the 10th, with the Phillies up 4-3, two outs, and two Braves on base, rookie Andrew Painter threw an 0-2 fastball to Dominic Smith that plate umpire Adam Beck called a ball. Realmuto immediately used Philadelphia’s last available Automated Ball-Strike challenge, and replay showed the pitch clipped the strike zone. The call was overturned to strike three, sealing the win. That turned a potential 1-2 count in a high-pressure at-bat into the final out, preserving Philadelphia’s comeback and tying the wild-card series at 1-1. Because the overturned call ended the game on the spot, it became the first walk-off ABS challenge in MLB postseason history. The challenge was especially significant because the Phillies had already fought back from a 3-1 deficit. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hit back-to-back homers to tie the game, then Alec Bohm gave Philadelphia the lead with a 10th-inning homer. Painter protected that lead with three scoreless innings in relief. Realmuto was the ideal player to make that call. During the regular season, he was MLB’s most accurate catcher on ABS challenges among regular users, succeeding on about 81% of them. The Phillies had deliberately preserved a challenge for late-game use behind the plate, and Realmuto’s read on Painter’s pitch turned that strategy into a season-saving finish and a postseason first.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 30

An 0-2 pitch to Dominic Smith was overturned from ball to strike after J.T. Realmuto used Philadelphia's last ABS challenge, ending Game 2 and tying the wild-card series 1-1.
Realmuto entered the game as MLB's most accurate high-volume ABS challenger at 81%, and the successful appeal produced the first walk-off ABS challenge in postseason history.
Alec Bohm's 10th-inning homer put the Phillies ahead after Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hit back-to-back eighth-inning home runs to erase a 3-1 deficit.
Andrew Painter then closed the final three innings with 3 strikeouts, 1 walk and no runs on 37 pitches, giving Philadelphia a season-saving win before Thursday's Game 3 in Atlanta.