Monday's NLDS Game 2 between the Phillies and Dodgers didn't end too well for the NL East champs, and the home fans at Citizens Bank Park let them hear it.
As Phillies closer Jhoan Duran came into the ninth inning with the team losing 4–1, boos from Phillies fans rained down onto the mound. The Phillies went on to drop their second game of the series to fall into a 0–2 hole and will now be looking at a Game 3 elimination matchup on Wednesday.
Phillies star Bryce Harper was asked Tuesday about how he felt hearing the boos, and whether that kind of environment negatively affects the team.
His response was all class:
"I don't feel that way. I love playing in the Bank," Harper 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."
The two-time NL MVP's response was notably different compared to that of his teammate, outfielder Nick Castellanos, who seemed to suggest the boos did, in fact, impact the Phillies' performance.
“When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back. When the game is not going good, it’s wind at our face. So, the environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us,” Castellanos said, via .
Castellanos noted that the Phillies can feel an "uphill climb" during those tense moments, and that the team tends to play "more tight" out of fear of wrath and scorn from the fanbase.
Harper and the Phillies may not have to listen to the boos much longer, with their season potentially coming to an end in Game 3 in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.