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Trea Turner has been struggling at the plate this season in Philadelphia, frustrating fans who’ve seen his production first-hand while he was playing for NL East rival Washington.
While in the nation’s capital, the shortstop was one of the game’s top performers. Over his seven seasons with the Nationals, Turner twice led the National League in stolen bases and hits, a trend that continued when he was traded to the Dodgers.
Unfortunately, the production hasn’t been there in his first season in Philly.
After hitting .300 or better in both his LA and DC stints, he’s seen his average dip to just .250 in the City of Brotherly Love.
Adding insult to injury, he currently has more strikeouts (58) than hits (51), seeing the worst offensive output of his career. On Wednesday, Turner added to that strikeout total with an embarrassing whiff in a late-game at-bat versus Arizona.
On that four-pitch K, Turner wasn’t close, swinging at a pair of off-speed pitches that landed in the other batter’s box. Fans in the stands quickly booed the awful AB.
Trea Turner might be broken pic.twitter.com/65AbNY7pkG
— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) May 24, 2023
Turner would get redemption later in the game, becoming the hero with a two-run homer in the ninth inning to send the game into extras. The Phillies would walk it off in the 10th frame to complete the comeback.
After the game, the shortstop spoke with the media, filling fans in on an interesting tidbit.
His mom was apparently one of those booing bystanders following that 7th-inning strikeout.
“They don’t bother me,” Turner said when asked about those boo-birds. “My mom prepared for me for anything in this game or in this world. She was tough on me from an early age, and not much phases me.
“She told me today she was booing me. She actually texted me and said, ‘Good game except for your fourth at-bat… I was booing you.'”
It appears that the infielder used the criticism as motivation. Maybe this will kickstart Trea Turner’s season as the Phillies look to get back to the playoffs.