Phillies legend Jimmy Rollins has had enough.
After the Phillies’ 4-3 loss on Monday, putting them on the brink of elimination against the Dodgers in the NL Division Series, outfielder Nick Castellanos was a little too forthcoming about the fans’ impact on the game.
“I think that the stadium is alive on both sides, right?” Castellanos said after the game, via David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back, but when the game is not going good, it’s wind in our face. The environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us.”
In the Game 2 loss, Phillies fans weren’t afraid to air their displeasure. Videos surfaced on social media of booing emanating from Citizens Bank Park during Phillies closer Jhoan Duran’s entrance with his team trailing 4-1 in the ninth inning.
In Rollins’s opinion, fans have every right to boo their own team. If anything, in Philadelphia, it should be expected.
“Bad timing, poor timing,” Rollins began, via X/Twitter. “In the playoffs, you don’t say anything about the fans, only about your performance. Even if you feel that way. And if you want to say something, say it on the plane. Say it away from the cameras, don’t let them get a quote, because all you can do is make it tougher for yourself.
“And I understand that the fact that, yes, when fans are behind you, it is energy. It keeps pushing me forward (and) on the road is the opposite, you feel the energy when they’re quiet. And it is hard to get booed at home, but you have to understand the fans’ perspective. They’ve been frustrated for years. This isn’t one game. This is years of games, not winning series at home, not finding a way to get it done, not getting the big hit, and this year, probably the most expectations that they’ve had, the way they ended… (the window’s) closing.”
To advance to the NL Championship Series, the Phillies will need to win three straight games. The next two games are set to be played in Los Angeles. If a Game 5 is forced, the series will return to Philadelphia.
The Phillies last won a World Series in 2008, when Rollins was the team’s starting shorstop in his prime. They returned in 2009 but lost to the Yankees in six games.
“If that’s how you feel,” Rollins continued, “you can silence all that by going out there and getting the job done … It’s never about the fans to win or lose.”
