A veteran catcher who has helped propel Philadelphia to its first World Series since 2009 is a husband and father who says his Christian faith is the No. 1 priority in his life.

J.T. Realmuto batted 2-for-4 and scored a run Sunday as the Phillies defeated San Diego 4-3, clinching the National League Championship Series for the franchise’s first NLCS pennant in 13 years. In the Phillies’ 10-6 win over the Padres Saturday, Realmuto was 1-for-2 with two walks, two runs, and a home run. Realmuto, 31, told FS1 he felt “blessed” to be heading to his first World Series.

“I just thank God for giving me this opportunity to play this wonderful game that I love for a living,” he said Sunday. “… I’m just so thankful for these amazing teammates [and] our families. This moment is so special it’s hard to put into words.”

Realmuto is second on the team in postseason hits (10) and runs (10). He also has two home runs during that stretch. He batted .276 during the regular season with 22 home runs (third on the team), 26 doubles, and 84 RBIs. His RBI total was a career-high, according to Sports Spectrum.

His Twitter bio reads, “Following Jesus Christ and chasing the dream!” “It’s extremely important to me in life to know that the first thing I am … before I’m a father before I’m a baseball player, the No. 1 thing I am is a follower of Christ,” he said in 2020 on the Faith on the Field Show podcast. Faith, he said, brings him peace.

“Especially in today’s day, being able to fall back on that relationship with Christ, if that’s the center of your life, all these problems that you’re going through, all these worries that you have, always seem a lot smaller,” he said. “You can always have faith in Him that He’ll be there with you to get you through that. Although Philadelphia lost the 2009 World Series (to the Yankees), they won in 2008 (over Tampa Bay).

Jacob Tyler Realmuto was born in Del City, Oklahoma, into an athletic family. He played various sports as he grew up, helping the baseball and gridiron football teams of Carl Albert High School win state championship titles.

Although he served as the baseball team’s shortstop throughout his high school career, a scout for the Miami Marlins encouraged Realmuto to become a full-time catcher. The Marlins selected him in the third round of the 2010 MLB Draft, and Realmuto chose to sign with the team rather than honor a commitment to playing college baseball at Oklahoma State. In January 2021, Realmuto and the Phillies agreed to a five-year, $115.5 million contract, the largest for any catcher in MLB history.

J.T. Realmuto recognizes that it’s a blessing to be able to play the game you love for a living, and he doesn’t take that for granted. If the Phillies continue playing well, Realmuto will be thankful for another achievement: winning the World Series.