Trea Turner, the Philadelphia Phillies' biggest offseason acquisition, is in the midst of a brutal season. Despite all of his struggles, Turner received a thunderous ovation before his first at-bat against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night as Philadelphia fans played against type.
This past offseason, Turner signed an 11-year contract worth $300 million to play for the Phillies. Through 108 games, Turner is hitting .236 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. Normally, that would lead to a lot of jeering from the home crowd, but not on Friday.
Turner stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the second inning, and everyone in Citizens Bank Park rose to give him a standing ovation. Even some of his Phillies teammates showed support from the dugout.
After the game, in which the Phillies lost 7-5 and Turner went 1-for-4 with an RBI, Turner said it was a very special moment for him.
"I thought it was pretty f--ing cool," Turner said, via the Phillies' website. "The fans have my back. They're showing up for me. It's pretty cool to see. I wish we could have come out with the win right there, but I thought that was awesome."
Turner also admitted that his mom cried while watching that first at-bat. He said that the Phillies fans "made her pretty happy."
Turner has never really gone through a slump like this in his career. In his ninth season, Turner owns a career average of .294 and an on-base percentage of .347. In 2020 and 2021, Turner led the MLB in hits with 78 and 195, respectively.
The two-time All-Star still has some time to turn it around and deliver for the Philadelphia faithful. With 52 games remaining, the Phillies are holding onto an NL Wild Card spot with the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks hot on their tail.