The Philadelphia Phillies take on the Milwaukee Brewers with a chance to clinch a postseason spot. They’ll send right-hander Aaron Nola to the mound, but with a surprise twist at catcher. Starting catcher J.T. Realmuto will be behind the plate instead of backup Garrett Stubbs.
With a postseason starting in less than a week, the Phillies will have their primary catcher behind the plate. Nola will most likely be caught by Realmuto in the postseason, since he’s the better all-around threat at the plate of the two veteran catchers.
It hasn’t been a great season offensively for Realmuto in 2026. Re-signed to a three-year, $45 million deal, his bat has been a problem. The 35-year-old is slashing .211/.289/.339 with 11 home runs and a 72 wRC+.
Realmuto’s struggling bat, which has been below a league-average hitter the past two seasons, has been an issue. The Phillies lack of consistent run-scoring and be highlighted by issues with the bottom of their order.
J.T. Realmuto Makes Surprise Start at Catcher with Aaron Nola Pitching
This will be Aaron Nola’s final regular-season start. Depending on how the season unfolds, his next start could be a Game 1 of a Wild Card Series. That’ll depend on whether the Phillies need to use Zack Wheeler in Game 162. Otherwise, he’s a candidate to pitch a potential Game 3.
This game marks only the second time since August 13 that J.T. Realmuto has caught Nola. The Phillies have turned more toward Garrett Stubbs, who has gotten the best results out of the 33-year-old starter this season.
Between catchers, Nola has 14 starts with Realmuto, 12 with Stubbs, and six with Rafael Marchan.
In 13 previous starts with Realmuto, Nola has a 4.74 ERA with 18 home runs and a .858 OPS allowed over 68.1 innings. In contrast, the right-hander has a 2.82 ERA with nine home runs and a .684 OPS over 70.1 innings, with Stubbs catching him.
The Phillies will hope that Nola’s good results carry over from the last two outings with Realmuto behind the plate. On his August 13 and September 11 starts, the right-hander has allowed just three runs over 11.1 innings with 12 strikeouts and six walks.
Philadelphia will need their Nola and Realmuto tandem to continue to work, as they hope to not only clinch a postseason spot, but advance. The Phillies play only postseason teams from this point forward.
Phillies Announce Sudden J.T. Realmuto Decision Before Brewers Game