PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Devin Booker scored 27 points and Jalen Green added 12 points in his return to the lineup as the Phoenix Suns beat the 76ers 116-110 on Tuesday night in a matchup of teams playing the second game of a back-to-back.
Grayson Allen and Jordan Goodwin scored 16 points apiece, and former Villanova star Collin Gillespie and Oso Ighodaro each added 12 as the Suns won their third straight game and for the 12th time in 16 games.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe led the 76ers with 25 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 21 points, and Tyrese Maxey added 20. Andre Drummond finished with eight points and 15 rebounds for the Sixers, who lost for the fourth time in six games.
Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid (right ankle injury management) and Paul George (left knee injury management).
Green played in just his third game of the season, and his first since Nov. 8, because of a right hamstring injury. He is in his first season with the Suns, arriving in the offseason as part of the trade in which Kevin Durant was sent to the Houston Rockets.
Green came off the bench to score seven points in nine minutes in the first half, and went on to shoot 4 for 11 from the field, including 2 for 4 from distance, in 20 minutes, with three assists and two rebounds.
The Suns, coming off a win over Brooklyn on Monday, got 13 points from Booker, 10 from Ighodaro, and were perfect on 13 shots from the free-throw line on the way to a 57-53 lead at the break.
The Sixers, who beat Indiana on Monday, opened the second half with a 13-2 run for a 66-59 lead. The Suns tied it at 68 and built a 97-84 lead by the end of the third period. Phoenix extended its lead to 103-86 with 9 minutes, 37 seconds left in the fourth after Sixers coach Nick Nurse received a technical foul for contesting a call. Philadelphia chipped away down the stretch, but never really threatened.
Up next
The Sixers host Houston on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP) in the fifth game of a six-game homestand.
Now batting in Cooperstown … Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones.
On deck … Chase Utley?
Beltrán and Jones were elected Tuesday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, an anticipated outcome after the center fielders fell short last year by 19 and 35 votes, respectively. Beltrán’s name was checked on 84.2% and Jones’ on 78.4% of ballots cast by 425 members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Despite its status as a glamour position, center field has been underrepresented in the Hall of Fame for nearly a half-century. Since 1981, only two full-time center fielders received the three-quarter majority needed for election by the writers: Kirby Puckett in 2001 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016.
Beltrán and Jones will join slugging former second baseman Jeff Kent, elected last month by a special committee, at the July 26 induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. And as soon as the Class of 2026 was set, the focus shifted to next year’s voting cycle.
Will it be Utley’s turn?
In his third year on the ballot, the Phillies’ iconic second baseman made another leap in the vote totals, climbing to 59.1% from 39.8% last year and 28.8% in 2024. Utley picked up 94 votes from last year, the third-largest gain after pitchers Félix Hernández (plus-115) and Andy Pettitte (plus-96).
Based on those trends, Utley could be positioned to rise above the 75% threshold next year, though 2028 might be more realistic. Utley’s surge is similar to, but slightly ahead of former Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen, who went from 35.3% in 2020 to 52.9% in 2021, 63.2% in 2022, and finally 76.3% in 2023.
Chase Utley picked up 94 votes from last year, the third-largest gain after pitchers Félix Hernández (plus-115) and Andy Pettitte (plus-96).
Utley was among four prominent ex-Phillies on the ballot, including two teammates from the 2008 World Series champions.
Jimmy Rollins made his biggest jump in five voting cycles but still has a long way to go. Rollins reached 25.4%, up from 18% last year.
Cole Hamels made a strong debut on the ballot at 23.8% at a time when many voters are considering adjusting their standards for contemporary starting pitchers. Hernández, for example, vaulted to 46.1%, more than double his first-year result (20.6%).
Bobby Abreu bounced to 30.8% in his seventh year on the ballot, up from 19.5% last year. But with only three more voting cycles remaining, he’s still far from 75%.
Although Utley’s candidacy already built momentum, it’s possible it got a tail wind from the election of Kent, who failed to reach 75% in 10 tries on the writers’ ballot. Utley could get another boost next year from Buster Posey’s first appearance on the ballot.
Posey, a seven-time All-Star catcher and three-time World Series champion, figures to receive strong consideration despite getting only 1,500 career hits. The writers hadn’t elected a player with fewer than 2,000 career hits since Ralph Kiner in 1975 until Jones got in with 1,933. Utley finished with 1,885.
Otherwise, Utley’s candidacy is rooted in a peak that lasted at least six seasons and as many as 10, depending on the voter’s perspective. From 2005 to 2014, he had a 127 OPS-plus and ranked second among second basemen in extra-base hits behind Robinson Canó, who was suspended twice for failing a drug test. Utley also had the second-most wins above replacement of any player, trailing only Albert Pujols.
It took four years for Beltrán to clear the 75% mark. The delay was a referendum on neither his two-way greatness nor his postseason brilliance but rather his role in the illegal sign-stealing scheme that aided the Astros’ 2017 World Series title in Beltrán’s 20th and final season.
But Beltran was a nine-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner. He was among four players to reach 2,700 hits, 400 homers, and 300 steals, joining Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodríguez.
Jones waited nine years to get elected, largely because of his sharp decline after his age-30 season and domestic violence charges filed against him in 2012. His candidacy appeared to stall over the last two years, but he made the jump from 66.2% last year.
A 10-time Gold Glove winner, Jones hit 434 career homers in 17 major league seasons.
Paul George will miss Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns at Xfinity Mobile Arena with left knee injury management.
This comes after the 76ers forward missed Monday’s 113-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers with the same designation. George is averaging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 23 games. Tuesday’s game will mark the 19th game (of 42) that he has missed this season. George missed the start of the season after recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason.
Sixers center Joel Embiid (right ankle injury management) is also sidelined due to not being cleared to play on both nights of back-to-backs. The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder finished with a game-high 30 points on Monday.
With the star duo out, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. join Dominick Barlow, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe in Tuesday’s starting lineup.
SANDY, Utah ― Was Bobby Brink the Flyers’ good luck charm?
Without Brink, the Flyers lost six straight. After he returned Monday, they snapped the skid and beat the Vegas Golden Knights, a team that was on a seven-game heater.
“I don’t think we changed anything,” he said Tuesday after the Flyers had a high-tempo practice at the Utah Mammoth’s practice facility near the picturesque Wasatch Mountains. “Sometimes you’re going to go through tough stretches [and] you play a long season. The way we were playing worked for us earlier in the year; it’ll work again. So, I think we showed that [Monday] night, didn’t change a thing, and it worked out for us.”
While Brink will, of course, not take any credit for being a catalyst, the coach did think his return helped boost the Flyers’ game.
“Really, really well,” Rick Tocchet said of Brink’s game.
“Bobby, for a guy that’s been out for a couple of weeks with that injury … I just like his speed to the middle. I mean, it’s noticeable when you’re on the bench, when you have those guys that can carry that puck with speed, separate, and transport the puck. We missed that speed from him.”
That injury was a concussion.
The Flyers forward missed the entire six-game losing streak after getting blindsided by Jansen Harkins in the first period of the Flyers’ 5-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6.
It was the first time in his hockey career that he dealt with this type of injury.
“A concussion is never easy,” he said Tuesday. “It’s a different type of injury than a lot of, maybe arms and legs and stuff. But the medical staff was good to me, and we got through it, and now I’m back playing.”
Concussion recovery is not a straight line. Steps and milestones must be met in a graded return-to-play progression before one can put a game jersey back on.
“Just slowly kind of work up to game-level again,” he said of the ramping-up process. “Try to keep the symptoms to the least amount that you can and try not to elevate them as you’re working. Work on some vision stuff and balance, and try to rewire the brain to make it feel good again.”
Bobby Brink missed six games with a concussion after taking a blindside hit against Anaheim on Jan. 6.
According to the NHL’s concussion evaluation and management protocol, a player can only return when he does not have symptoms at rest, the symptoms do not return when he exerts himself at an NHL game’s pace, and the team’s doctors confirm he has returned to neurological and neurocognitive baselines.
Although Tocchet said they may monitor his ice time because of the injury, Brink skated 13 minutes, 28 seconds Monday, including more than two minutes on the power play. Tocchet did say some of his cut-back ice time was due to the exorbitant amount of penalties (seven) the Flyers took in the game. Brink had one shot on goal, two missed shots, and blocked two more.
The trio played together in nine games before Brink got hurt, beginning on Dec. 16 in Montreal. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers scored five goals and allowed one with a 64.63% expected goal share. On Monday, when they were on the ice against the Golden Knights, the Flyers had seven shot attempts and allowed eight. They outshot the opposition 4-2, but allowed two scoring chances.
“It’s never fun sitting and watching, so it was good to be able to kind of come back and get in the game and go to battle with the guys,” Brink said.
Brink has 11 goals and 20 points in 42 games this season. The 24-year-old is one goal away from tying his career high set last season in 79 games and is shooting a career-best 15.3%. He is tied with Cates for the team lead in game-winning goals and has four points on the power play.
Breakaways
Forward Sean Couturier did not participate in Tuesday’s practice. “Maintenance day,” Tocchet said. “Just wanted to give him a rest.” … Goalie Dan Vladař did not participate in practice but did skate on his own on the other rink in Utah during the team’s practice time. Vladař was placed on injured reserve on Monday after suffering an undisclosed injury in the Flyers’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres last Wednesday. … Asked about Rodrigo Ābols, Tocchet didn’t want to say he would be out for months, “but it was a pretty tough injury.” Ābols was injured Saturday against the New York Rangers when he appeared to get his right toe stuck in the ice along the boards in the offensive zone, and his ankle buckled. He was unable to put weight on the leg as he was helped off. One of the first players named to Latvia’s team for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, he was replaced on the nation’s roster on Sunday.
A disabled Ecuadorian immigrant who was arrested and detained by ICE after he flagged down an officer in September was ordered back to his homeland on Tuesday.
That is not the same as an order of deportation, but for migrants in detention it has the same practical effect. If Acurio Suarez were to refuse to leave voluntarily, the order would convert to a deportation order, which carries consequences including fines and a bar on reentry.
“It’s not good news,” his attorney, Kaley Miller-Schaeffer, said shortly after the video hearing concluded.
She plans to quickly appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, which can review decisions by immigration judges. It is uncertain if an appeal would be successful.
The judge denied her client’s request for asylum, which can be granted to migrants who could face persecution in their home countries because of their race, religion, nationality, politics, or membership in a particular social group. Acurio Suarez was beaten by gangs who preyed upon his disabilities, his attorney said.
Miller-Schaeffer said she was not able to speak with her client after the ruling. His brother, Lenin Acurio Suarez, was still processing the decision, she said.
Lenin Acurio Suarez holds a photograph of his brother, Victor, at his home on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 in Seaford. Victor was arrested by ICE in Seaford, De.
Victor Acurio Suarez’s case drew support from Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, who wrote to the judge that it would be “cruel” and “egregious” to deliver the Seaford resident to gang violence. Meyer also advocated for Acurio Suarez in social media posts, calling his arrest and detention “deeply disturbing” and arguing that with no criminal history, not even a traffic violation, Acurio Suarez “poses no threat to public safety.”
The governor’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Acurio Suarez has long been cared for by his brother, Lenin Acurio Suarez, who said in an interview last month that Victor Acurio Suarez did not realize he was in immigration custody when he was taken to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania. He thought he was on vacation, provided with three free meals a day and allowed to buy snacks and kick a soccer ball.
He was arrested on Sept. 22 in a Lowe’s parking lot near the brothers’ home in Seaford when he tried to flag down a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, apparently thinking the officer could help him find work.
In the past, someone with Acurio Suarez’s profile might have been allowed to live at home as the case moved forward in immigration court. That has changed as President Donald Trump has pressed his mass-deportation agenda, and mandatory detention policies have swelled the number of people in custody.
His case, Miller-Schaeffer said earlier, is a prime example of how Trump administration policy shifts have encouraged ICE to detain even the most vulnerable and to treat potential discretionary relief as irrelevant in a bid to boost deportations. Her Sept. 30 request to have Acurio Suarez released to the care of his brother while his immigration case went forward was denied.
A medical assessment submitted for his asylum application said Acurio Suarez has autism and aphasia, a language disorder that affects his ability to produce or understand speech.
David W. Baron, the doctor whodid the assessment, said Acurio Suarez cannot safely live on his own. He requires supervision to perform daily hygiene activities or cook and has a hard time communicating his needs to others, a condition made worse by being in an unfamiliar setting while in detention, where he does not have access to the support needed for his neurocognitive disabilities.
At an earlier court hearing, Miller-Schaeffer said, she watched as Acurio Suarez struggled to answer basic questions. He told the judge he didn’t know if he had an attorney or know what an attorney does.
His ability to testify was so limited, she said, that the judge allowed his brother to take the stand to explain his sibling’s experience and situation.
Acurio Suarez can recall big events in his life, she said. He remembers being beaten by gangs, but he couldn’t tell you exactly when that occurred.
He worked at odd jobs in Ecuador before coming to this country.
Records show that on Aug. 2, 2021, the brothers were stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol as they tried to enter the United States near Eagle Pass, Texas.
Lenin Acurio Suarez was issued a notice to appear in court and released, and his immigration case was later dismissed.
Victor Acurio Suarez was ordered deported and subsequently returned to Ecuador on Sept. 24. Three days later, for reasons that are unclear, the deportation order was found to have been issued incorrectly, and Acurio Suarez was brought back by authorities to the U.S.
In October 2021, he was granted temporary permission to stay in the country. He had filed his asylum case by the time that permission expired a year later.
Last year, according to an ICE report, on Sept. 22 an ICE team was conducting operations in Seaford, a southern Delaware city of 9,000 where 13% of the population is foreign-born.
The ICE officer wrote that he was looking for a place to park in the Lowe’s lot when a man in paint-stained clothing, Acurio Suarez, approached him. Acurio Suarez waved his hand, signaling the officer to come to him, according to the ICE report.
The officer kept going, then stopped his car and watched Acurio Suarez from another lot. Acurio Suarez tried to hail other cars, and could be seen talking to people who were loading lumber onto a trailer in the parking lot, he said.
It looked as if Acurio Suarez was trying to find daily work, which is why he tried to get the ICE officer to stop his vehicle, the report said.
It is common for undocumented immigrants seeking a day’s pay to wait in the parking lots of big home-improvement stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot, hoping to connect with building contractors who need laborers.
Lenin Acurio Suarez said his brother cannot hold a full-time job, and is able only to handle small tasks, provided someone is beside him giving directions.
A second ICE officer arrived, and both parked their cars near where Acurio Suarez had left his lunch box. Acurio Suarez walked back toward the officers, and one of the agents approached and questioned him.
Acurio Suarez told the agents he had no identification or immigration documents and was placed in handcuffs.
Despite sharing half a name, Indiana University of Pennsylvania has no connection to Indiana University (located in Bloomington, Ind.). So why are some IUP alumni celebrating after the other Indiana won its first football national championship on Monday night in Miami?
The answer is Curt Cignetti. Before Cignetti’s Indiana team completed arguably the most improbable undefeated season in the history of the sport with a 27-21 win over the Hurricanes on their home field, Cignetti was the coach at Division II IUP.
Cignetti left his spot on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2011 to take the IUP job, which was his first head coaching job. Cignetti’s father, Frank Cignetti Sr., played football at IUP and spent 20 seasons as the school’s head coach before retiring in 2005.
Curt Cignetti amassed a 53-17 record in six seasons with the Crimson Hawks, departing in 2016 to become the head coach at FCS Elon. Two of Cignetti’s assistants at Indiana, offensive coordinator Michael Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, were on staff with Cignetti at IUP.
So while the Hoosiers and the Crimson Hawks are not connected in any official capacity, IUP fans have plenty of reason to celebrate the Hoosiers’ perfect season. Cignetti even gave a nod to his IUP roots while on the podium with ESPN.
“Back when I was waxing the staff table at IUP, Thanksgiving weekend and the school was shut down for the playoffs, did I ever think something like this was possible?” Cignetti said. “Probably not. But if you keep your nose down in life and keep working, anything is possible.”
The school shared a video clip of Cignetti’s podium remarks on its official Facebook page.
“Congratulations Coach Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers!” IUP’s post read. “We are so proud to be a part of your story!”
Many members of the IUP community took to social media to express their excitement about the Crimson Hawks being represented on college football’s biggest stage.
“My freshman year at IUP was Curt Cignetti’s final season coaching our D2 football program,” Seth Woolcock posted on X. “The field there is named after his dad. This guy is Western PA born & raised. Watching him take IU to the Natty is the greatest sports feat of my lifetime.”
My freshman year at IUP was Curt Cignetti's final season coaching our D2 football program. The field there is named after his dad. This guy is Western PA born & raised.
Watching him take IU to the Natty is the greatest sports feat of my lifetime.
A few posters pointed out that Cignetti is not the only prominent coach to spend time at IUP. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni spent three years coaching wide receivers for the Crimson Hawks before joining the pro ranks in 2009.
“We wake up this morning to the fact that the winning head coaches of the most recent CFP and the Super Bowl were once coaches at IUP,” Matt Burglund posted on X on Tuesday morning.
We wake up this morning to the fact that the winning head coaches of the most recent CFP and the Super Bowl were once coaches at IUP. pic.twitter.com/MkRkKKlzZY
Nick Sirianni’s relative, Pete, made the same connection between Cignetti and the Eagles coach. Pete’s post references IUP alum Ben McAdoo’s unsuccessful stint as head coach of the New York Giants, acknowledging that “the IUP Difference only works for some.”
Eagles hired Nick Sirianni — Wins Super Bowl. Indiana hires Curt Cignetti — Wins national title. New York Giants hire Ben McAdoo — flames out in two years, gets fired (but does get better hair)
IUP had connections to both sides of Monday night’s title game, as Miami’s athletic director, Dan Radakovich, played football for the Crimson Hawks and graduated from IUP in 1980. Cignetti’s connection to the school seemed to overpower any Miami favoritism among IUP fans.
“Our Pick?” the IUP Alumni Association wrote in a Monday morning Facebook post. “I-N-D-I-A-N-A all the way!”
A coalition of building trades unions will lend the Philadelphia Housing Authority $50 million out of its pension fund to help finance the redevelopment of Brith Sholom House, a dilapidated senior apartment complex in West Philadelphia.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and her longtime political ally Ryan N. Boyer, the business manager of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, announced the arrangement Tuesday and framed it as a first-of-its-kind approach to expanding the city’s affordable housing stock.
Under the terms of the deal, PHA will repay the building trades over 15 years at a 4.5% interest rate. PHA President and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah called it a good deal for taxpayers as banks and traditional financing institutions are lending at higher rates.
The city is guaranteeing the loan.Parker said the outcome will be 336 units of affordable housing for seniors on fixed incomes. Members of the building trades unions will perform the work at the site.
“This isn’t an investment for the building trades,” Boyer said. “It’s a down payment on our city’s future.”
Boyer, one of the most powerful nonelected political figures in the state, has been a longtime ally to Parker and much of City Council. The trades unions poured millions into Parker’s run for mayor in 2023 and have remained largely in lockstep with her. Boyer led the mayor’s transition team and has been a key voice on her signature housing plan, which stands to generate thousands of construction jobs.
The trades’ $50 million investment comes in addition to the $99.6 million that the housing authority is spending on a gut rehabilitation of the Wynnefield apartment complex, bringing the total cost of the project to $150 million.
A protestor carries a sign to protest the living conditions at Brith Sholom House apartments, in Philadelphia, on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Jeremiah said he has been “shocked and dismayed” by the conditions at Brith Sholom, which was so neglected under its previous owners that tenants were forced to move out.
Work will begin late this year and is expected to take about 20 months to complete, Jeremiah said, meaning tenants may not be able to move back in until 2028. He had previously estimated a timeline that would have allowed residents to return this year.
Brith Sholom fell into disrepair under its previous owners, the New Jersey-based Puretz family. A 2024 Inquirer investigation found that members of the family became one of the nation’s largest affordable housing purveyors by buying up old buildings, saddling them with debt, and then defaulting on loans.
At Brith Sholom, the Puretz family profited while defaulting on a $36 million mortgage and amassing dozens of code violations. Residents — who organized to save their homes — complained of deteriorating infrastructure, threats of utility shutoffs, squatters, and severe pest infestations.
In a bid to preserve the building and reuse it in part as subsidized housing, PHA acquired Brith Sholom House in August 2024 for $24 million.
In addition to the price of the acquisition, Jeremiah estimated in 2024 that the cost of rehabilitating the building would be an additional $30 million to $40 million. PHA said then that the remaining 111 elderly residents in the 360-unit building would be able to remain in place.
Three months later, Jeremiah informed the tenants that Brith Sholom was in such ragged shape that they would have to be moved out to repair the building. Some units were so badly damaged that PHA could not fix them.
Following the acquisition of Brith Sholom, PHA has embarked on an ambitious $6.3 billion, 10-year plan that includes the purchase of 4,000 other privately held apartments. In the face of a glut of market-rate multifamily properties, many developers have struggled to charge the rents they need to pay back their loans — and the housing authority has been able to purchase buildings from such companies across the city.
City Council President Kenyatta Johnson speaks during a news conference about the plan to redevelop Brith Sholom. At right is Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
Parker also said the investment at Brith Sholom is part of her signature housing initiative, called Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E. The mayor — who has promised to build, redevelop, and preserve more than 30,000 units of housing — is in the midst of continued negotiations with City Council over H.O.M.E.’s first-year budget.
Council in December gave initial approval to changes to legislation related to Parker’s housing initiative, which set income eligibility thresholds for two housing programs funded by H.O.M.E.’s bond proceeds. Parker wanted a higher threshold so middle-class residents could access the programs, while Council’s version aims to prioritize poorer Philadelphians.
Council could take a final vote on the related legislation as early as Thursday, when lawmakers return to session following their winter break.
Throughout the contentious process, Parker has said her administration is committed to affordable housing for lower-income Philadelphians. The collaboration with PHA to remake Brith Sholom, she said, is part of that effort.
“It’s not just for one particular constituency,” Parker said Tuesday about her overarching housing plan. “I’m personally on a mission to save Philly rowhomes. We’re trying to address our housing crisis and doing it for Philadelphians from all walks of life.”
Parker was joined at the news conference Tuesday by Council President Kenyatta Johnson, despite the two being at odds over the H.O.M.E. legislation in recent months. Johnson praised the mayor’s leadership and said the financing arrangement for Brith Sholom is remedying a “miscarriage of justice.”
“This is the type of work that helps those most in need,” Johnson said, “which is our seniors, who deserve to live out the twilight of their lives in dignity.”
Just a few hours after J.T. Realmuto’s new contract became official Tuesday morning, he was at the Phillies’ facilities in Clearwater, Fla.
Pitchers and catchers don’t report until Feb. 11, but Realmuto’s family typically heads to Florida in mid-January. Not only does it offer a reprieve from chilly weather of his offseason home in Oklahoma, it also gives him a head start on his preparation for the year.
The routine seems like it will hold for the next few years after Realmuto re-signed with the Phillies for three years and $45 million. The new deal will take Realmuto, who turns 35 in March, through his age-37 season. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Realmuto, the Phillies designated utility man Weston Wilson for assignment.
“I’m glad we’re back here, and this is where we wanted to be the whole time,” Realmuto said. “My focus was just on my legacy here and being able to finish my career with the Phillies and not having to uproot my family and start over.”
But the veteran catcher conceded Tuesday that there were points during his free agency when it felt like an agreement wouldn’t come together. While both parties had been interested in a reunion from the beginning, they disagreed on the dollar amount.
“In my opinion, catchers are just undervalued in this game, as far as contracts and dollars go,” Realmuto said. “I truly believe it’s one of, if not the most important position on the field.”
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto struggled at the plate last season but believes he can get back on track with a few tweaks.
The Phillies were prepared to move on from Realmuto last week as discussions intensified with free-agent shortstop Bo Bichette and had contingency plans in place at catcher. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said they had other targets they could have added to their mix of Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs.
But when the New York Mets swooped in with a shorter-term, higher-dollar offer for Bichette — which Dombrowski described as a “gut punch” — the Phillies then called Realmuto back with an improved offer.
“We’re thrilled that J.T. is back because that was always a priority for us over the wintertime,” Dombrowski said. “We think he was the best catcher out there, as far as free agency was concerned.”
Realmuto posted one of his worst offensive seasons in 2025, hitting .257 with a .700 OPS over 134 games. But he remained elite defensively at catching runners stealing, catching plus-6 runners above average, according to Statcast.
For his pitching staff, most of Realmuto’s value comes from the work he does behind the plate and behind the scenes.
“Every time that I walk in, J.T. is already in the kitchen. He has a laptop in his hands. He’s looking at the opposing team, coming up with the report, helping us out,” Cristopher Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “And I just think that’s a testament to him and the preparation that he puts [in] for us to go out there and [be] able to thrive.”
Added reliever Tanner Banks: “After games, [he’s] doing workouts when guys are showering to go home. He’s a bulldog behind the dish.”
Realmuto said he was “self-aware” about his offensive decline over the last few seasons, but he believes he can turn it around.
“I know that I haven’t had my best years [the] last couple years, but I do believe that it’s not, like, age or physically related,” he said. “It’s something that I can improve on and work on and be better for the years to come.”
His training regimen is a big part of that, and it has evolved over the years. Rather than lifting as heavily as possible and bulking up, as he did when he was younger, Realmuto now focuses on training for mobility and longevity.
The aging curve typically is unforgiving for catchers. Yadier Molina is the only other catcher in baseball history to start more than 130 games behind the plate in his age-33 season or beyond.
Realmuto played 132 games behind the plate last season, at age 34, and stayed healthy. With a multiyear deal, the Phillies are betting that Realmuto can continue to defy the odds.
“He’s a great athlete. I mean, a lot of times you don’t see catchers in that same type of situation,” Dombrowski said. “… It wouldn’t shock me if you’re sitting here in another three years, and J.T. is talking about a multiyear contract beyond that. He’s that type of individual. You look at historical aspects, but I also think you’re talking about a unique individual that will continue to perform very well.”
Extra bases
Zack Wheeler continues to progress in his rehab from thoracic outlet decompression surgery and has thrown up to 90 feet. “He looks good, but there’s no guarantees when he’s going to get up on the mound. He eventually will,” manager Rob Thomson said. … There is mutual interest between Sánchez and the Dominican Republic national team for the World Baseball Classic, but Sánchez said he still is discussing it with the Phillies and has not made a decision on his participation.
Halfway through the regular season, with All-Star Weekend slowly approaching, the NBA has announced its best-selling jerseys from the season thus far — and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has cracked the top 10 of the sale list.
The 25-year-old has easily become a fan favorite throughout his six seasons in Philadelphia. And following Monday’s announcement that the former league’s Most Improved Player will be starting in his first All-Star Game this year — earning his second All-Star nod — those jerseys will most likely be even more in demand.
Maxey, who currently averages 30.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, was followed on the list by Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg, and Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant. Golden State’s Stephen Curry and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic top the list.
Nine players on the list have been named starters for the 2026 All-Star Game, with Lakers star LeBron James as the only player to miss the cut.
Here’s the full top 15:
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Meanwhile, the Sixers were named one of the teams with the top-selling NBA merchandise, coming in at No. 5 above the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
SEPTA Regional Rail riders experienced significant delays — at times, 30 minutes to an hour — at the peak of morning rush hour on Tuesday morning, after a train pulled electrical wires down.
A West Trenton Line train struck overhead electrical wires near Wayne Junction train station in the Nicetown section of Philadelphia at 7:45 a.m., said SEPTA officials.
The train lost power and was tangled in the wires it had pulled down.
Marie Pollock, 24, who was on board, felt the train start to gradually slow down before quickly and forcefully coming to a stop. Pollock could see wires hitting the train windows and noted that other passengers were startled during the collision.
“We were keeping the doors closed because it was so cold,” Pollock said. “We were on kind of a hill, so there wasn’t any room for SEPTA to get a shuttle, and the power was out on both tracks, so we couldn’t get a typical rescue train to us.”
Pollock, who had already been waiting a half-hour in 20-degree chill for her 6:17 a.m. West Trenton Line train before the ordeal, said passengers waited inside the stuck train for an hour and a half.
SEPTA crews had to cut through the downed wires to free the train and then used a diesel-powered train to tow the disabled one to Wayne Junction, where passengers took other trains into Center City.
Pollock’s four-hour journey didn’t end until 10 a.m. when she finally arrived at Jefferson Station.
Since then, service interruptions have been occurring primarily on the Warminster, Lansdale/Doylestown, and West Trenton lines. However, delays cascade throughout the rail system, leading to 15 to 45-minute delays on other lines, said SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch.
“Repairs are still continuing,” Busch said Tuesday afternoon, “but service has improved. Some minor delays, and we are advising passengers to plan for some extra time during rush hour, but we expect the evening commute to be better than this morning.”
There is currently no timeline for completed repairs.
