PHILADELPHIA — Nothing was getting in J.T. Realmuto’s way as he soared around the bases, not even his own teammate.

As the catcher tried to score from first base on a ball into the gap, Nick Castellanos, the runner coming from second, was suddenly just feet in front of him with the same goal in mind.

Realmuto smiled. He was going for it, and he knew Castellanos needed to hurry. The backstop was gaining ground, nearly catching up by the time both runners slid home at almost the exact same moment.

“I don’t think I ever actually yelled, but I was definitely thinking it,” Realmuto said.

“I just wanted to touch the plate and get out of the way,” Castellanos said.

Home-plate umpire Jonathan Parra signaled safe, then quickly extended his arms to signal safe again. Both runners beat the play, three runners scored in total and Stott strolled into third on the throw with a bases-clearing double.

On a baserunning play reminiscent of a scene in the film “Rookie of the Year” in which 12-year-old big leaguer Henry Rowengartner slides into the plate with another Cubs player right behind him, the Phillies blew open the game en route to a 10-2 victory in the opener of a three-game series with the division-rival Mets.

“It looks like — what is it? ‘Rookie of the Year’?” Castellanos said. “I can’t remember which, but I know it’s one of those baseball movies and it’s a funny scene.”

The play was amusing. It was silly. It was the kind of play that unfolds on a youth field, not inside a packed Citizens Bank Park in front of an announced crowd of 44,432. But the Phillies utilized that double slide in a real-life, professional game to take first place in the National League East.

“It kind of felt like I was playing a Little League game with that play,” Realmuto said. “Even getting back to the dugout, everybody’s laughing, having fun with it. It was just a different scenario than you usually see in a game, so kind of being able to have that fun and laugh in the dugout was a special moment.”

With the Phillies ahead 5-2 after already scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Stott stepped to the plate with one out and the bases loaded. Alec Bohm stood on third base, Castellanos was on second base and Realmuto was on first.

Stott drove a 1-1 slider from reliever Justin Garza out to left-center field, and it smacked off the wall and toward left fielder Brandon Nimmo. Castellanos said he was “hovering around” the second-base bag until he saw the ball was going to get down. Once he took off, he was “aware” that Realmuto might not be too far behind.

While Bohm scored with ease, Castellanos needed to hustle. And Realmuto, reading the play perfectly, was busting it around the bases as well. Third-base coach Dusty Wathan said he didn’t have a choice but to send both runners with the way they were digging. Realmuto was in agreement.

As Mets catcher Luis Torrens received the throw, Castellanos slid in safely, and Realmuto followed a blink of an eye later. Torrens couldn’t tag either player.

“I basically made the decision rounding third base,” Realmuto said. “In my head, I was like, ‘We’re either going to both be out or both be safe.’ So luckily, we both snuck in there.”

Going up by six, Philadelphia capitalized on a solid five-inning performance from starting pitcher Zack Wheeler and a key five-out appearance from reliever Tanner Banks to work around a poor showing from Taijuan Walker, who gave up two home runs in one-third of an inning. The club then tacked on two more runs in the eighth on a homer from Castellanos.

After losing to the Mets in the 2024 NL Division Series and getting swept in New York in April, the Phillies started this meeting off on a much better note. They’re surging with wins in three straight games, nine of their last 11 and eight of their last nine. Entering this series tied with the Mets for the division lead, the team used a strong offensive night and an absurd, exhilarating play on the bases to find its way back into the top spot in the NL East.

“It’s one of those plays you never really prepare for,” Realmuto said. “So it was fun to be a part of.”