Phillies Nuggets with Tim Kelly

Even with his mom booing, Trea Turner delivers biggest hit of Phillies season

Trea Turner hit a key home run Wednesday. (John Jones/Icon Sportswire)

When Trea Turner stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday, it felt like the latest example of the two-time All-Star not being able to catch a break on the field in his first season with the Philadelphia Phillies.

But rather than strike out — as he had, in horrendous fashion, the prior at-bat — Turner jumped all over the first pitch he saw from Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Scott McGough and hit a game-tying home run into the left field stands.

“Yeah, that was a good one,” Turner said after the game. “I felt like I’ve been having better at-bats, and just kind of no luck … hitting them right at people. And then the last one, good spot to hit a homer. So it felt pretty good, and then Craig [Kimbrel] came in, pitched great and we got the win.”

The whirlwind of a game that Turner had Wednesday is hard to put in perspective.

He’s right, he did hit into some bad luck early in the game. But before he tied the game with his home run in the bottom of the ninth, Turner was still going to be the story Wednesday afternoon because it was impossible to ignore how poorly his seventh-inning at-bat against Kevin Ginkel went:

Turner, while acknowledging his poor approach in the at-bat, says he didn’t give it much thought after walking back to the dugout.

“It was horrible, so there’s no point of thinking about it ever again,” Turner said bluntly. “I’m gonna be bad, I’m gonna be good. But like I said a few days ago, moving forward it doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. Tomorrow is a new day. You’ve got more at-bats coming … more ground balls coming, so get ready and try to move in the right direction.”

Still, while Turner has heard some boos in recent nights, they were as loud as they’ve been after his seventh-inning strikeout. Even as he walked to the plate in the ninth inning, a fan in the Hall of Fame Club yelled “You’re a bust!”

How is Turner, or anyone, not at least a little bit bothered by that?

“Oh, they don’t bother me,” Turner said with confidence. “My mom prepared me for anything in this game and this world. She was tough on me from an early age, and not much phases me.”

Sure, but did Turner’s mom Donna ever boo him?

“She told me today she was booing me,” Turner said. “She actually texted me and said ‘Good game, except for your fourth at-bat.’ And I said ‘Yeah, not a good one.’ And she said ‘I was booing you.’ She’s one of the reasons why I’m here.”

Turner’s home run didn’t win the game, but it felt eerily similar to Bryce Harper’s game-tying grand slam against the Los Angeles Angels in the bottom of the eighth inning of an early June game last season, down to the cream uniforms.

Last year, it was Bryson Stott who came through in the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk-off home run after Harper’s heroics in a game that is widely seen as having been the turning point in the Phillies season.

Perhaps Turner’s home run — coupled with a strong performance from Craig Kimbrel in the top of the 10th inning and an Alec Bohm walk-off RBI in the home half of the frame — will have a similar effect on the 2023 campaign.

More Thoughts On Trea Turner’s Heroics

J.T. Realmuto: “It was great. It was a big moment for the team, we needed that — finishing off the homestand with a win. And for Trea, we all know the kind of player Trea is. We all have faith in him. We know that he’s gonna turn it around and hopefully that swing was a kickstart to it.

“It’s got to feel like a little weight off his shoulders. I know it’s a tough spot to be in because we’ve all been there.”

Alec Bohm: “Everybody is extremely happy for him, right? You know, he’s obviously an extremely talented player, and everybody’s kinda [been] waiting for something like that to happen. So everybody is super happy for him, and obviously it helps the team win too.”

Rob Thomson: “Yeah, that was big. Maybe that’s his signature moment that gets him going. But I thought he hit the ball hard three times — right field, center field and then he hits the home run. So his at-bats have been better.”

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