Philadelphia's brotherly love has done Phillies' Trea Turner good
A few weeks ago, Philadelphia Phillies fans rallied behind shortstop Trea Turner, helping him break out of a slump amid arguably the worst season of his career. Now, approaching September, the magic still hasn't worn off.
Since the Philly faithful showed they had Turner's back, 15 games have passed and the expensive shortstop has produced in a big way. Heading into play Sunday, Turner was batting .370/.414/.704 with four home runs and 12 RBI.
Meanwhile, he's hit safely in all but one game while posting six multi-hit games, including a two-home run inning on Saturday against his old squad, the Washington Nationals.
Earlier this month, Phillies fans banded together, giving Turner multiple standing ovations while he struggled at the plate. That night, Turner broke a three-game hitless streak and drove in his first run in 16 games.
The following night at Citizens Bank Park, Turner had a four-RBI night, bashing a three-run home run against the Kansas City Royals, leading to a therapeutic curtain call.
Turner wasn't going through any ordinary slump ahead of his recent tear. Over an eight-year career, including two All-Star nods, Turner had never played worse.
Before receiving a dose of brotherly love, Turner was batting a measly line (.235/.290/.368) with only 10 homers and 34 RBI through 107 games. So, to say Turner was struggling would be a massive understatement.
After signing an 11-year, $300M deal in free agency with the Phillies this offseason, there was extra pressure on Turner to produce. Not living up to expectations, things seemingly got worse. However, after some encouraging cheers that Turner called "pretty cool," he's looked a lot like the shortstop the Phillies paid so much for.
Many believe fans have a minimal impact on the game and its result. However, the connection between Philly's notoriously tough fanbase and Turner proves that, at times, they can make all the impact in the world.
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