As the final song ended, J.T. Realmuto and his wife, Lexi, stood there in the grass on Citizens Bank Park with smiles on their faces. Juan and Melodee DeVevo of the Christian music group Casting Crowns finished a worship set including contemporary songs, such as “Great Are You Lord” and “Trust In God,” alongside keyboardist Brian Fratto and guitarist/vocalist Stanley Pierre. Behind the Realmuto’s, taking up sections 114-118 along the first base line, were droves of Philadelphia Phillies fans who had joined together in worship.
What had just concluded was a “Faith and Baseball Night” at Citizens Bank Park, hosted by J.T. and Lexi Realmuto alongside Phillies’ team chaplain Jeff Boettcher. During the program, Boettcher interviewed the Realmuto’s, guiding them through their Christian faith journeys and how they intertwine with baseball. Boettcher then asked a series of questions posed by fans through social media.
The event concluded what had become a long day at Citizens Bank Park for the Phillies. A 41-minute rain delay had already started the day on a sour note. Follow that up with a disappointing 8-2 loss against the Los Angeles Angels, giving Phillies fans every excuse to leave in a hurry, putting the day at the Bank behind them. Many fans, however, chose to stay to hear from J.T. and Lexi talk about their faith. It was for this reason that J.T. Realmuto, a man known for a very stoic expression at all times on game day, had a big smile on his face.
“There was every reason in the world not to hang around today,” said J.T. Realmuto following the event. “The rain delay, the hot weather, the game didn’t go so well. It was cool to see people show up for Jesus.”
Building a life rooted in faith together through the ups and downs
On-stage, the Realmuto’s discussed their background and the beginning of their faith journeys. Lexi Realmuto described her faith as really beginning through the family of a former fiancé. For J.T., he pointed to his first interactions with his wife as the catalyst.
“When I met Lexi when I was 25,” J.T. Realmuto described. “She was just on fire for God like nobody had ever seen before. That was like a little light bulb in my head. And I was like, wow, there’s so much more than I realize here. For me, God was going to church, it was doing the right thing. It wasn’t necessarily having a true, authentic relationship with him. And until I met her, I didn’t really know that. I didn’t know I was missing something, but she showed me how much more there was to that. And I saw what she had in Jesus, and I wanted to chase that same thing.”
At the time, J.T. Realmuto was a budding catcher in his second season with the Miami Marlins. The couple later got married in November 2017. Fast-forward eight years, the couple now have four children together, the older of whom could be seen running around the field after the Faith & Baseball night concluded.
“We try to be honest with our kids about everything,” Lexi Realmuto said regarding their children. “We’re imperfect, so we try to remind them daily that mommy and daddy aren’t perfect. We’re doing the best we can. And we pray with them daily. Just before we walked out here, both of our daughters prayed over us, so that was pretty special. We try to get them to use what God has given them also, the gifts he’s given them, and bring that out of them. We try to champion them in whatever they want to do. However, our oldest daughter, she’s passionate about telling people that Jesus loves them. So we try to champion that. Everything that our family does, it flows through Jesus. So praying with them, worshiping with them, talking to them daily about why we’re here today, why this is so important to us.”
Throughout the night, J.T. and Lexi Realmuto kept referring back their faith in Christ as a firm foundation, a concept laid out in the Bible in Matthew 7:24-27. Using personal stories of familial loss and everyday arguments between themselves, the couple make it clear that, in the shifting sands of life, especially in Major League Baseball, they trust their roots are in something greater.
“Being away, having good games, having bad games, life is just so up and down,” J.T. Realmuto described afterward. “The one constant we have is Jesus. And as a family, we focus on that. And we make that our core value system, and it keeps us from riding the waves of life.”
Especially in an age where social media reigns supreme, there exists an immeasurable number of voices with opinions on every move the Phillies catcher makes on and off the field. The Realmutos described, however, that they do everything they can to stay disconnected from the noise of the world and connected to the Word instead. They only allow a handful of people to speak into their lives and, though they may be separate during the season, do everything they can to read the Bible together and keep their hearts in the right place.
The purpose behind the night
Since arriving in Philadelphia in February 2019, the Realmuto’s have come to call Philadelphia their home. With the platform of one who plays professional baseball in a large-market city, J.T. Realmuto wanted an opportunity to share his faith with the people to whom they’ve called home. And so, after a few conversations with Boettcher, the team chaplain, the idea for their “Faith and Baseball” event was born.
“This is the heartbeat of who we are,” said Lexi Realmuto. “We want you guys to know. We love you guys deeply… It’s like if I knew of a good cheesesteak place, and I wanted to tell all of you guys, ‘I knew about this cheesesteak that you guys would just love. And I want to give that to you, I want to give you that location.’ And this is kind of why this is so important because I want to give that to you guys. And when we came here, this was always our heart. Obviously, we want to win, and winning is amazing and we’re competitors but this is really this is everything to us and sharing this with you guys it’s just a part of you know how much we love you.”
A mission close to their heart
As their children circled and young fans clamored for the Phillies star to come sign autographs, I ask J.T. and Lexi Realmuto one more question on the night regarding their involvement with International Justice Mission (IJM). A Christian organization, IJM works around the globe to stop slavery and trafficking. The Realmuto’s have been involved with IJM in the past, going on a mission trip with their Team Freedom this past summer.
“IJM is super close to our heart,” Lexi Realmuto described. “We both feel very passionate about sex trafficking. And so that’s where our heart is. And we’re trying to get the word out that it’s happening and it’s real.”
“I think just with having our kids and seeing how innocent they are and how fortunate our kids are to be in the situation they are,” J.T. Realmuto continued, “not every kid is that lucky. So there’s a ton of child slavery, not just sexual slavery, but labor, there’s just a lot of slavery going on, child trafficking and for us to be able to, it’s obviously near and dear to our hearts with our children. So we’re passionate about that and trying to make a change in the world for that.”
One big bonus
As J.T. ran off, thanking Juan and Melodee DeVevo in the process, to go sign autographs for fans who had likely been at the ballpark all day, it became apparent that there was no place Realmuto would rather be. Here he was, sharing his heart with many of his favorite people on earth. The same people who come out to see him play day-in and day-out, through every high and low.
“My foundation is in Christ,” said Realmuto. “It’s not in who I am on the baseball field. So baseball, as you guys all know, is very up and down. You’re the highest of high. Everybody’s cheering. The crowd’s loud. And then three days later, you’re the worst player on the team, and you guys are booing us off the field. That’s just the way it is. So if you focus on that and that’s who your identity is, it’s going to be really hard to stay consistent and stay peaceful and have joy in your heart. So for me, my foundation is Jesus. It’s what he’s done for me on the cross. And this out here is just a bonus.”
