Boos poured onto the diamond Monday in Philadelphia. The Phillies, who had lost four of their past five home playoff games dating to the 2023 postseason, were entering the ninth inning with a 4-1 deficit to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLDS.
Closer Jhoan Durán was heading to the mound without a chance for a save for the second time in three days in front of a sea of red normally enthralled by his theatrical light-show entrance.
Although the Phillies rallied in the bottom half of the frame, their comeback bid fell one run short, and they fell into an 0-2 hole against the Dodgers, with an elimination game in California looming.
When asked Tuesday about the boos and if the the Philly crowd can work against the home team, star first baseman and two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper pushed back against that narrative.
“I don’t feel that way. I love playing in the Bank,” he said.
“I love our fans. I boo myself when I get out. I’m the same way. And I trust in what they do. They show up for us every day, day in and day out. So if we deserve to be booed or if we deserve to — you know, they spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play. They expect greatness out of us. I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates as well. … We got some of the best fans in baseball. I don’t know. They make me play better. So I enjoy it.”
Harper is part of a struggling top three that normally fuels the Phillies’ offense. Shortstop Trea Turner, the NL batting champion, Kyle Schwarber, who smashed 56 home runs this year, and Harper are a combined 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts and four walks in two games of the division series.
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Typically at his best with the Phillies in October, Harper’s heroics have been missing this time around, including in the sixth inning Monday, when he whiffed at Blake Snell sliders outside the zone.
Harper is well aware of the expectations facing his NL East-champion Phillies, who had the best record at home during the regular season.
The question Harper fielded Tuesday followed comments from his teammate, right fielder Nick Castellanos, who breathed life into the stadium with a two-RBI double that made it a 4-3 game with no outs in the bottom of the ninth before he was tagged out at third on a subsequent bunt attempt by second baseman Bryson Stott.
Manager Rob Thomson’s bunt call was scrutinized afterward, and so was Castellanos’ baserunning.
“The stadium is alive on both sides, right?” Castellanos said postgame. “When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back. But when the game is not going good, it’s wind in our face. The environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us.”
Philadelphia has now dropped five of its past six home playoff games. The days of its 2022 run to the World Series, during which the Philly home crowd felt like a distinct advantage, seem far away.
The Phillies now have to win two games in L.A. to keep their season alive and have a chance to return home for a decisive Game 5 and win back their passionate fans.
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