Sean Rodriguez played the role of hero on Monday night, as his walk-off home run in the 11th inning gave the Philadelphia Phillies a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Phillies third baseman, however, will likely not receive a hero’s welcome from fans at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night after calling out those among them who he views as “entitled” over how they occasionally boo the team’s players.
Rodriguez, who has been struggling mightily of late amid a 1-for-21 slump before his walk-off homer — and is slashing at a .214/.316/.393 clip for the season — was booed after striking out in the seventh inning during a pinch-hit appearance.
After the game, Rodriguez called out the fans who boo not only him but other Phillies players when they are mired in slumps. After all, Phillies fans have even booed Bryce Harper, who was greeted as a franchise savior only months ago.
“Who’s looking bad and feeling entitled when you hear stuff like that?” Rodriguez said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’m not the one booing. I’m not the one screaming. I’m not the one saying pretty disgusting things at times. That seems pretty entitled. You’re just making yourself look pretty bad as an individual, as a person, as a fan. That’s tough.
“There’s still a lot of good fans, though. Those are the ones I hear and pay attention to. The few that might be behind home plate and say, ‘Hey, Sean, keep doing your thing. Don’t worry about it. Things will come around.'”
Rodriguez’s comments certainly won’t endear him to Phillies fans. As is often the case, publicly calling out a team’s fan base rarely works out well for a player, even if there is some legitimacy to their criticisms. In all likelihood, Rodriguez will learn that lesson at the Phillies’ home ballpark come Tuesday night.
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