J.T. Realmuto gives Braves bulletin-board material of the century on Philly radio

It's been a wild ride for the Philadelphia Phillies in each of the last two seasons. Inconsistency in the regular season has been prevalent, but the Phillies have turned it on when it matters most, in October.

The Phillies made a shocking run to the World Series in 2022 and were just one win away from making it back there last season. One commonality that came from those runs was the Phillies defeating the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS despite being the underdog in both series.

Despite their recent playoff failures, the Braves have owned the NL East, winning the division in each of the last six seasons. While the Phillies obviously enjoy defeating the Braves in the postseason, they want the landscape of the division to change. Just ask J.T. Realmuto.

J.T. Realmuto gives the Braves all the motivation they'll need to keep owning the NL East

In an appearance on WIP, Realmuto made his feelings about the Braves winning the NL East every year abundantly clear. He's tired of it. Realmuto has spent his entire 10-year career in the NL East and has not won the division a single time. He's watched the Mets, Braves, and Nationals, the only teams he has not played for, win it. That has to sting.

With the Mets taking a step back, the NL East is really a two-horse race between the Phillies and Braves. For Philadelphia to dethrone Atlanta in the division, they're going to have to get off to a better start. Realmuto knows that.

The Phillies got off to a brutal start in 2022 leading to the team firing Joe Girardi before they turned their season around and eventually won the NL Pennant. This past season wasn't as bad, but by the end of May, they were 25-30 on the season. They were 7.5 games back of first-place Atlanta. You can't go five games under .500 in a two-month stretch and expect to beat a juggernaut like the Braves. They have to be locked in from the jump.

The Braves have to be as motivated as ever to finally knock the Phillies out, and the way Realmuto is talking about de-throning them in the NL East has to just fire them up more.

It should be a fascinating two-horse race to determine who wins the NL East. If the Phillies can get off to a good start, we might be in for a good finish before these teams inevitably see each other in October once again.