Phillies

“This is What I Saw Last Year on TV” – Trea Turner Lauds Phillies Crowd After Walk Off Hit

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Aug 23rd, 2023 · 9:18 AM EDT

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Had the pleasure of seeing that Trea Turner walk off inside Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night. Great game, great atmosphere, just solid vibes all around the ballpark.

Turner talked about it afterward:

Trea Turner talked about the atmosphere in CBP in the 9th after the Phillies walked off on the Giants. @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/S1Xd2JAb6r

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) August 23, 2023

Turner:

“I think when (Brandon) Marsh got that hit and everybody was on their feet for the rest of the inning, it was kind of, the thought that went through my head is ‘this is what I saw last year on TV.’ Not a random game, but a middle of the week game in August, and I know we’re in the playoff hunt, but definitely not a game that should be that exciting, and it was.” 

It was a different experience down at the ballpark, of course. I was only half paying attention to social media, but my dad noticed on the TV screens that Angelo Cataldi made an appearance on the NBCSP broadcast, which was immediately followed up by San Francisco taking the lead and the Phillies being unable to plate a run for the next 4-5 innings. Imagine if Angelo had mushed the Phils in a big game with Wild Card implications, featuring Gabe Kapler on the other side. The headlines would have written themselves.

But you didn’t feel any trepidation in the crowd. It’s hard to describe in writing, but there wasn’t any sort of grumbling around us, no consternation, no yelling or griping or anything like that. You didn’t sense any outward frustration or kneejerk reaction to the Alec Bohm double play or Johan Rojas near-miss in center. There was some head scratching after the bizarre Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh outfield sequence, but honestly not much. It’s almost as if fans knew the Phils were gonna continue to compete and get their chance in the late innings, and so it was enjoyable to be off Twitter and Facebook and surrounded by more pragmatic fans who were just enjoying the moment and vibrating on Nick Nurse’s frequencies of the present.

Great experience. Great to be back at CBP, and for what it’s worth, Turner has been killing it at the plate every since the “standing O” (quotation marks because really only half the crowd was standing, but most fans were clapping and being supportive) –

.359/.397/.641 (1.038 OPS) — that is Trea Turner's slash line since August 5.

Over that span, the Phillies have been the most potent lineup in the National League (6.4 runs/game).

It’s happening. It’s finally happening. pic.twitter.com/mqr7SuS99C

— Paul Hembekides (Hembo) (@PaulHembo) August 23, 2023

Ironically, the genesis of the standing O was a fielding error. But the show of support got the wheels turning at the plate while seemingly fixing Turner in the field as well. Looks like the guy just needed a confidence boost and it’s paying off for everyone.