If you’re looked at as one of the leaders of your respective team in this town, you won’t get away with much. Shane Victorino is seen as such, and while he has said time and again that he’s doing his best to break out of his season-long malaise, eventually the backlash from that will get to you.
Victorino snapped out after Thursday night’s 4-1 loss to Colorado, one in which the centerfielder went 1-for-4, keeping his average at .252. With two outs in the eighth inning, Victorino stepped to plate with a chance to tie the game as Ty Wigginton stood on third base. Like the two hitters before him, Victorino was unable to bring Wigginton to the plate to tie the game. Instead, he was stranded and the Rockies would score twice in the top of the ninth to head out of town without being swept. It was a golden opportunity for the Phillies to do something they hadn’t done all year, and that’s give the fans a sense of hope with a three-game sweep. Instead, boos scattered across a rather-lifeless Citizens Bank Park.
“Do I want to win every game, yeah, who doesn’t want to win every game,” Victorino said following the defeat. “I mean hey we lost one…what more do you guys want?
“I want to go out there and score 10 runs every night, I want to be on base, I want to hit .300, I want to do all these things, but it’s not happening. We’ve just got to keep going, stay positive. Seems like you guys always want to bring up negative stuff.
“I’m over it.”
Perhaps the media is guilty of being too cynical and too quick to follow the negatives. However, you can’t deny that there haven’t been many positives surrounding the Phillies, either. I assure you Victorino knows that, but such is life on a Phillies team this season that can string together more losses than wins. And such is life for a centerfielder who sees his time in Philadelphia running down as free agency draws closer.
To be fair, Victorino is one of the few Phillies who will speak during good times and bad. He’s always front and center in the clubhouse, always willing to discuss his, or the team’s, shortcomings. For that, he can be commended.
And for one night, he let his emotions peak just a bit. Hey, it happens.
Below is Victorino explaining himself following the loss.
-June 21 Victorino – What more do you guys want?
–June 21 Victorino – Wanna win every game
-June 21 Victorino – You guys always wanna bring up negative stuff. I’m over it
