Aug 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (L) slaps hands with second base Bryson Stott (R) after his play to end the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The whole play, from the time he fielded the ball to the time the play was over at home plate, took two seconds.
But the process going on in Edmundo Sosa's mind during that time span was the equivalent of a lifetime.
That is, a lifetime of training. Of practice. Of study. Of developing a reliable instinct.
It was the seventh inning. The Phillies were only up by one in a game they would eventually win over the Detroit Tigers 2-0.
It was on National television. The ESPN broadcasters were touting this as a possible World Series matchup being previewed in early August. The stakes were high. The buzz of more than 40,000 fans was palpable.
There was Cristopher Sanchez, pitching another gem, announcing to the few remaining doubters that he should be in the NL Cy Young conversation.
But, it was his first - and only - pickle of the night.
He had runners on second and third with one out. Detroit DH Jahmai Jones was on third base - the only Tigers runner who would reach the bag at the hot corner the entire game.
Andy Ibanez was at the plate for the AL Central leaders. He scorched a ball down toward third.
Sosa was playing just a half step behind the bag, and as the pitch was delivered took a half step toward the bag.
What happened next was a thing of beauty for the Phillies.
What a play by Edmundo Sosa to save a run! pic.twitter.com/HWYkFXOajd
"It's the kind of play where you have to anticipate what happens before it does," Sosa said through an interpreter. "For me, I'm trying to think as a runner. I'm thinking of running toward the inside of the line and maybe bother the defender a little and bother the throw and his sight. So, as a defender, I anticipated that and throw the ball before he bothered me the way I would have if I were the runner."
All of that thought process in less than two seconds.
"The runner did a really nice job because he was running toward the inside of the diamond," said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. "It is difficult to be able to throw around that. Sosa did a nice job and J.T. (Realmuto) on the backside tag was really good too."
The Phillies are often much-maligned for their defense - and deservedly so - but in a game this close, this tight, where runs for both teams were at a premium, it's plays like this by Sosa that made a whale of a difference.
"It's something you do out of instinct," Sosa said. "But it's also an extension of (who's on) the mound. I know there's a big chance of a hitter hitting a rollover towards me. You anticipate that play because of who you have on the mound. That's the success of that play. It doesn't make it easy, but I do credit that thinking (coming from) being conscious of who we have on the mound. Credit to J.T. too, because that wasn't an easy throw."
In fact, there were several plays in the game that weren't easy, but everyone who plays a position in the infield had to make some excellent defensive plays to ensure this win.
It wasn't just Sosa and Realmuto on this play.
An inning later, on the final pitch of the night for Sanchez, Bryson Stott made a diving play up the middle and one-hopped a throw to Bryce Harper to steal a hit from Gleyber Torres.
Defensive masterclass from both teams tonight!
This play from Bryson Stott gets Cristopher Sanchez through the 8th with 84 pitches pic.twitter.com/HTMa4axaqc
In the ninth, a throw from Sosa to first base was high, and Bryce Harper showed some ups and dexterity, not only to get high enough to catch the ball, but also to have the presence of mind to come down on the bag at first, just nipping Spencer Torkelson, who was originally called safe, only to see the call overturned upon video review.
Was that Bryce Harper or DeVonta Smith? 😉 pic.twitter.com/NorQrQNhTT
Trea Turner made several nice plays - two that took strange hops on him, but he stayed with the ball and completed the play, and a few others where he showed some excellent range.
"The outs above average - I think that's the stat - tells a lot of the story. and he's really improved his glove work, reading ground balls and his throwing accuracy has really improved. I know he's done a lot of work with (fielding coach) Bobby (Dickerson)."
It's nice to see the Phillies have come around on defensive metrics. Last season - at least some of them. At the end of last season, when a question was posed to Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski about Turner's defense and the stat Defensive Runs Saved was cited in the question.
"We also feel that sometimes you have to be careful with some of that, and I'm not sure which metrics you're using, but they're not always 100%," Dombrowski said at the time. "We rely on defensive metrics but there's also not a perfect way of describing the defensive aspects of our game as far as we know."
Nice to see that Outs Above Average is now deemed acceptable.
Maybe because it's such a positive for Turner. He is currently plus-12 according to StatCast. That ranks 10th in all of baseball and fourth among all shortstops.
It's a huge leap forward from where he was at the end of 2024, which was minus-3 and tied for 31st among all shortstops.
Sanchez also played solid defense to support himself. He started a 1-6-3 double play with a pinpoint throw on a turn and fire to second base, and then used his athleticism to field a grounder between the mound and first base and flipped it to Harper directly from his glove to get another out.
"A couple of years ago that one-six throw he made might not be accurate," Thomson said. "He showed his athleticism on that tweener play between first and second base, so, he's the full package."
The old adage is pitching and defense wins championships. The Phillies certainly have the pitching. If they can consistently get the defense they had behind them on Sunday, then the sky could, in fact, be the limit.
