Edmundo Sosa takes ownership for his baserunning mistake on Tuesday: ‘Just a lack of focus’
Sosa, like Brandon Marsh did after Tuesday's loss to the Astros, lamented his lack of hustle out of the batter's box on a double that could have been a triple in the ninth inning.
Edmundo Sosa took full ownership of the baserunning mistake he made in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Astros.
Sitting in the Phillies dugout pregame on Wednesday, Sosa said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello that “a lack of focus” is why he did not run hard out of the batter’s box after sending a slider off the right-center field wall. Sosa took a few slow steps, watched the ball fly at first, and what could have been a triple ended up as a double.
The next three batters flew or popped out, and while Sosa stole third base, he was unable to score what would have been the tying run.
“I totally forgot to run the bases there, and I only focused on where the ball was going, and that’s what caused me not to get to third base, and that’s a big mistake that might have cost us the game right there,” Sosa said.
» READ MORE: Don Mattingly, Brandon Marsh lament Phillies’ baserunning miscues after loss to Astros: ‘It can cost you a game’
Sosa said he didn’t think the ball was hit out of the park. Typically, the utility player will skip once out of the batter’s box after hitting a homer, and he didn’t do that on Tuesday.
“It’s just a lack of focus and a lack of thinking about the running the bases there,” he said.
Interim manager Don Mattingly, who said after the game that he was “surprised” not to see Sosa wind up on third on the initial play, spoke to Sosa in a private conversation about the mistake.
“I respect the game a lot, and I try to show that,” Sosa said. “And that’s one of the things that I don’t tolerate from the game, the lack of hustle and not running the bases there, not running at full speed. I think that’s something I don’t want to happen again. … I think that’s something that shows no respect to the game, and I try to respect the game every time I play it..”
Mattingly also had a separate conversation with Brandon Marsh, who misread a hard-liner from J.T. Realmuto and was doubled off at second base in the seventh inning on Tuesday. Mattingly said for the most part the players know where they erred, but it’s important to have the one-on-one conversations as a reminder.
“Make sure we’re thinking correctly. Most of the time, you’re asking about what they’re thinking in that situation,” he said.
It’s not the first time he’s had to have those conversations recently. During the Phillies’ West Coast trip last week, Mattingly spoke to Derek Hill about missing a stop sign from third base coach Anthony Contreras, and to Marsh about trying to advance to third on a grounder to shortstop.
Like Sosa, Marsh took accountability for his Tuesday mistake.
» READ MORE: Phillies prospect Aidan Miller moves up to double A in his return from injury
“It’s unacceptable for me to take a step toward third,” Marsh said after the game. “It’s a huge mistake by me. Really no excuse. Just a really bad play on my part.”
While the recent blunders have been especially ugly, Mattingly remains confident that the Phillies will be able to clean up their act on the base paths. In fact, statistically the club is still one of the stronger baserunning teams in the league.
According to the StatCast metric of baserunning run value, the Phillies rank fourth in baseball with plus-8 baserunning runs created. Six of those are from stolen bases, while the other two are from non-steal plays where an extra base was taken.
Only ahead of the Phillies in this metric are the Diamondbacks (plus-11), Nationals (plus-9), and Brewers (plus-9).
A major contributor to the team’s overall success is Bryson Stott, who ranks third overall with a baserunning run value of plus-7 and is a perfect 24-for-24 on stolen base attempts.
“The Phillies have actually rated out over the last few years a really good baserunning team, one of the best in baseball,” Mattingly said. “This has been a good baserunning team, and not that it’s bad now, but I think you have to keep teaching, and keep making sure everybody understands what you look for in that situation, and hopefully you learn from it, and those mistakes don’t happen again.”
Latest on Cortes
Pitcher Nestor Cortes appeared in his first official game Tuesday since Sept. 3, 2025, pitching one inning for single A Clearwater. He struck out two and allowed one run on one hit. His four-seam topped out at 91.4 mph.
“It was OK,” Mattingly said. “So [Wednesday’s] the day to see how he bounces back, and then what happens next.”
Extra bases
Bryce Harper had a planned day at designated hitter Wednesday, with Kyle Schwarber playing first and Bryan De La Cruz taking over in right field. … Several Flyers players, including Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak, Nick Seeler, and Noel Acciari were at Citizens Bank Park pregame on Wednesday meeting members of the Phillies and taking batting practice. … Zack Wheeler (12-5, 3.23 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale against the Astros, while Houston’s starter has not yet been announced. The Phillies will stay on turn for their upcoming series in Atlanta, with Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, and Andrew Painter lined up for the three games against the Braves.
With the minor league season winding down, Phillies farm director Luke Murton returns to Phillies Extra to discuss the state of the system and upcoming changes to his role. He also offers an encouraging update on injured top prospect Aidan Miller. Watch here.
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