KANSAS CITY -- The Phillies were eager to welcome back Ranger Suárez on Saturday night, and nothing was going to put a damper on the left-hander¡¯s evening.

Pitching for the first time since July 22, Su¨¢rez came off the injured list in grand style, working five solid innings in the Phillies¡¯ 11-2 victory over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. The win maintained Philadelphia's five-game lead over Atlanta in the NL East.

After recovering from lower back soreness that sidelined him just over a month, Su¨¢rez (11-5) was on a pitch count against Kansas City. But his efficiency allowed him to get deep enough into the game to pick up his first victory since June 8.

Su¨¢rez allowed just four hits and one run while throwing 72 pitches (46 strikes). He finished with a flourish, striking out both Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia with two runners on after Kansas City had cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fifth.

But on the evening of Su¨¢rez¡¯s return, he had to share the spotlight with catcher J.T. Realmuto, who had an impressive night at the plate. Realmuto blasted a pair of three-run homers before notching his seventh RBI on a groundout in the ninth.

In the sixth inning, Realmuto got a green light on Brady Singer¡¯s 3-0 pitch and didn¡¯t miss. He crushed it 393 feet to put the Phillies ahead 5-1. Then in the eighth, Realmuto went yard again -- this time off Royals reliever Chris Stratton -- sending a 424-foot homer into the fountains in left-center.

Second baseman Bryson Stott also had a big game, tying his career high with four hits as Philadelphia scored six runs off the Royals¡¯ bullpen.

All in all, there was a lot for Phillies manager Rob Thomson to savor, and it started with the return of Su¨¢rez.

¡°Tremendous,¡± Thomson said of his starter. ¡°He had a lot of soft contact and he landed his breaking ball when he needed to. He kept them off-balance. He was super, really was.¡±

Thomson said the maximum number of pitches he would have been comfortable watching Su¨¢rez throw in his first game back was 75. But that number will rise ¡°15 to 20 pitches¡± in each subsequent outing, the Phillies¡¯ manager added.

¡°Now we can go to six [innings] and probably 90 pitches [in his next outing],¡± Thomson said.

Su¨¢rez felt his start went according to plan.

¡°As expected,¡± Su¨¢rez said through an interpreter. ¡°I felt good every inning. Just happy to be able to contribute to a win today.¡±

Realmuto, who started the night with 29 runs batted in, collected seven RBIs with three swings. Given the opportunity to swing with a 3-0 count in the sixth, he was able to stick with his approach.

¡°In that situation, I¡¯m looking for one pitch in one location,¡± Realmuto said.

The two batters ahead of Realmuto had reached thanks to some good fortune. Nick Castellanos¡¯ popup behind second base dropped in because of miscommunication between Royals¡¯ second baseman Michael Massey and right fielder Hunter Renfroe. Then Stott hit what looked like a routine bouncer to second before the ball took a bad hop and rolled to the outfield, giving the Phillies an opportunity to widen their lead.

¡°When J.T. hit that first three-run homer, everybody exhaled at that point,¡± Thomson said.

While the two-homer, seven-RBI night was fun, Realmuto got just as much enjoyment catching Su¨¢rez¡¯s strong return to the Major League mound.

¡°He looked like he hadn¡¯t missed a beat,¡± Realmuto said of Su¨¢rez. ¡°Commanded the strike zone great, got ahead, was able to throw swing-and-miss pitches when he needed them. He¡¯s a calming presence in our clubhouse. When he is on the mound, we know we¡¯re going to have a good chance to win the game.¡±