“Glad he booed himself!” “Nick Castellanos will be quickly forgotten” - Fans clash over Bryce Harper’s “pandering” take on Phillies booing culture

The Philadelphia Phillies arrived in the division series brimming with confidence following their NL East triumph. However, they failed to capitalize on the home advantage against the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing the first two games at Citizens Bank Park.

With the Phillies struggling at home, the crowd booed some of the players to vent their frustration. Two-time MVP Bryce Harper said he understood the fans' frustration.

"We’ve got some of the best fans in baseball and they make me play better, so I enjoy it,” Harper said. “They show up for us every day. They spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play; they expect greatness out of us and I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates as well.”

Harper's comment divided fans on social media.

"I’m glad he booed himself when he swung himself out of a walk."

"I grew up in Philly. Our sports teams are our children and sometimes we think the kids need a kick in the butt. Hence the Boos. If you are not part of our family never disrespect our kids or you will get your ass kicked! This is the Philly way!"

"Here come the pandering from Bryce so he doesn’t get criticized."

"They sent Nick out as the sacrificial lamb and now they're sending Bryce out to be the hero...not slick."

"Been waiting for him to “play better” since Game 5 of the 23 NLCS."

Nick Castellanos weighed in on criticism from home fans during NLDS clash against Dodgers

Veteran Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos started a late rally with his two-run double in the ninth inning of Game 2 to bring Philadelphia within one run of the Dodgers. However, the Dodgers held on to register a 4-3 win.

All-Star infielder Castellanos weighed in on the booing from fans in Game 2.

"I think that the stadium is alive on both sides, right?” Castellanos said. “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.”

Bryce Harper & Co. will be at Dodger Stadium for a do-or-die Game 3 on Wednesday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash