KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the pop, pop, pop of fireworks in the distance in every direction around Kaufman Stadium providing a patriotic soundtrack here Saturday night, the Phillies burst a few bombs in the air, too.
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Just not from the usual sources.
Never mind that five players — nearly 20% of the roster — found out before the game that they will come home to play in Philly’s All-Star Game on July 14. It was the supporting cast — J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Jesús Luzardo — that thumped the Royals, 6-1, on the Fourth of July.
In winning for the 10th time in 14 games, the Phillies got homers from Realmuto, rookie Gabriel Rincones Jr., and Bohm. Luzardo struck out nine batters in six solid innings.
And what about those All-Stars? Although they were in the lineup, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh might as well have taken the night off. Jhoan Duran did. There was no save necessary.
It was a no-muss, no-fuss kind of win for the Phillies, now 41-20 under interim manager Don Mattingly and 50-39 overall, still breathing down the neck of the Braves, who lead the division by three games.
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Wanna see us hit a home run?@Toyota x #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/xgy59FSp4G
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 5, 2026
Luzardo set the tone by retiring the first eight batters — five by strikeout — before yielding an infield single. It marked his latest dominant start on the road, where he has a 1.54 ERA compared to 6.60 at home.
With Luzardo muting one of the most impotent offenses in baseball, the Phillies put pressure on Royals starter Michael Wacha but didn’t break through until Realmuto cracked a two-run homer in the fourth inning.
Rincones followed by hitting a cutter into the right-field bullpen to open a 3-0 lead.
Bohm teed off in the sixth inning with a leadoff homer. The Phillies kept tacking on. Trea Turner scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning before Bohm doubled and scored on Rincones’ single in the eighth.
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