J.T. Realmuto belted a pair of three-run homers to highlight a career-high seven-RBI performance, lifting the visiting Philadelphia Phillies to an 11-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.
Realmuto’s RBI total tied a franchise record for the most by a catcher in a single game. Carlos Ruiz also had seven in a game against the Atlanta Braves on May 2, 2012.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott collected a double and three singles for a four-hit performance. Trea Turner had a pair of RBI singles and Bryce Harper and Austin Hays each ripped an RBI double as the Phillies banged out a season-high nine extra-base hits and a campaign best-tying 18 hits overall.
The offense was more than enough for Ranger Suarez (11-5), who returned from the 15-day injured list to pick up his first win since June 8. He allowed one run on four hits in five innings.
Freddy Fermin had an RBI single in the fifth inning and a sacrifice fly in the seventh for the Royals, who lost for just the second time in their last nine games.
Kyle Schwarber belted his second double of the game off Brady Singer (9-9) with one out in the third inning before coming around to score on Turner’s single to right field to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.
Realmuto threw out Dairon Blanco at third base to end the third inning before Harper’s RBI double in the fifth staked the Phillies to a 2-0 advantage.
Fermin’s RBI single halved the deficit before Philadelphia pulled away in the sixth inning.
Nick Castellanos and Stott each singled before Realmuto deposited a 3-0 sinker from Singer over the wall in left field.
That closed the book on Singer, who permitted five runs on a season-high 11 hits in five innings.
Realmuto put the game out of reach in the eighth inning when he went a 1-0 changeup from Chris Stratton over the wall in left-center field. Hays and Turner each drove in a run in the eighth inning before Realmuto added an RBI groundout in the ninth.