Your team’s season just ended. Not just abruptly—painfully. Shockingly. The more dramatic among us might say tragically. It’s not exactly grief, because calling it grief would diminish the pain that comes with true loss, but as fans we do go through similar stages—denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
These stages take time, often because only time away from the team can truly heal us. After the initial denial and anger give way, we don’t want to think about them, we don’t want to see them, we absolutely do not want to talk about them. Sadly, this often results in us not only blocking out the lowest points and trauma of the season, but also a lot of those sweet sweet high notes.
As expected, Phillies fans needed space after Orion Kerkering’s stunning error in the 11th inning of the NLDS abruptly ended their World Series dreams. A moment that needs no further rehashing by me or anyone else. We were witnesses, we were victims, we have moved on (as well as anyone can).
But before we could move on, there was denial and bargaining. There was absolutely no way the season just ended like that. If only that missed strike call hadn’t happened! This quickly gave way to anger, and unsurprisingly, Kerkering’s “bonehead play” became fodder for sports talk and memes across social media. He was the topic of gruff, profanity-laced conversation with the stranger you held the door open for at Wawa the next day, who was somehow strong enough to wear a Phillies cap so soon. Too soon, buddy.
As with anything in the media, things eventually died down. People became more analytical about the playoff series, acknowledging that (once again) cold Phillies’ playoff bats and the truly exceptional work by the Dodgers’ pitching staff were more to blame than an error made by a young kid in a high pressure situation. As usual, shots were fired at manager, Rob Thomson for his handling of the bullpen, while others defaulted to blaming the missed strike call in the 7th inning that ultimately lead to the Dodgers scoring the tying run. People were talking again, analyzing again, and as time wore on we slowly began expressing our readiness to move on and get excited for the next season, even if it meant getting hurt yet again.
Acceptance had entered the chat.
As Phillies fans slowly made our way back to the team we never truly stopped loving, I kept waiting for everyone to wipe the baseball slumber from their eyes and start being excited about the truly special season we witnessed from our star shortstop, Trea Turner. I waited and waited, and it never happened. I wondered:
Did we forget about Trea?
Instead talk shifted to Kyle Schwarber’s free agent status and his contract negotiations. As the season was in full swing, Trea had often been overshadowed by his teammate’s explosive offensive production and the electric battle for the National League home run title that saw Kyle finish with a stellar 56 home runs on the season, not far behind winner, Cal Raleigh (60). Following the season’s end, the “will he, wont’ he” debate surrounding Kyle’s freshly minted free agent status, and whether or not he would re-sign with the Phillies raged on, ultimately culminating in a massive new contract. Again Schwarber dominated the conversation as the predictable questions arose: had the Phillies paid too much for too long?
Suddenly, we’re in the heart of the free agency frenzy where rumors are flying daily and everyone is ravenously waiting to find out which big name free agent could be joining their team. Could Bo Bichette really be coming to Philly? Will my favorite player be traded? Should I buy that jersey?
Still, we weren’t talking about Trea.
In addition to the distractions, Philadelphia as a fan base has a habit of talking about their players more when they’re disappointed, angry and frustrated—positive reinforcement is often lacking. And while the fans did come together for the standing ovation for Trea in August of 2023, it was after weeks of tearing him down. We must be honest with ourselves and admit that the ovation was not purely an altruistic act of love and support for our then struggling shortstop, but stemmed, at least partly, from self-interest. This fan base was desperate to see production from this supposed superstar, that many already felt was overpaid.
Tales of Philadelphia fans’ Savagery are Greatly Exaggerated
Ultimately the standing ovation did spark a dramatic turnaround for Turner, who seemed to be genuinely touched by the support. Most would agree that the standing ovation was a departure from the norm for Philadelphia sports fans. While tales of our savagery are greatly exaggerated, our love language does more traditionally include a heavy dose of very tough love.
Just ask Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts. Hurts has spent most of his career under fire by media and fans alike, his talent called into question daily. Turn on a certain local sports talk radio station at any hour of the day and you’re sure to hear the “Jalen Debate” raging.
Trea Turner faced the same constant barrage of vocal frustration and criticism during the slow start to his 2023 season before the standing ovation. While frustration and criticism for poor performance is certainly warranted, the voracity and longevity of the attacks often feels extreme in this city, where passions run so high.
Whatever the reason—the brutal end to the season, Schwarber and free agency mania, or simply the carelessness of a difficult to please fan base—Trea Turner’s truly remarkable 2025 season slipped through the cracks of our collective minds.
In 2025 Turner was asked to become the primary lead-off hitter; a role many felt he should have been given sooner, but was hindered by Kyle Schwarber’s success and desire to remain in that slot.
Manager Rob Thomson encouraged Turner to focus on getting on base and worry less about hitting for power, in hopes of addressing both chasing out of the zone and strikeouts, two issues that plagued the Phillies lineup in the 2024 NLDS against the Mets. Trea took the assignment and ran with it, batting .304 on the season with 15 home runs, 69 RBIs, 36 stolen bases and a .812 OPS in 141 games. Turner finished fifth in hits in all of MLB, walking away with the NL batting title, the first for a Philadelphia Phillie in decades and a feat that was even more remarkable considering he missed most of September with a hamstring injury. He also managed 45 multi-hit games, 16 three-hit games and an 11-game hitting streak where he slashed .404/.429/.660 with eight extra base hits.
In addition to an offensive explosion, the much maligned shortstop improved his defense considerably. Phillies fans can attest that prior to the 2025 season his defense had been questionable at best, at times quite troubling, leading to calls for him to be moved to the outfield. In 2025 Turner finished the season with 17 Outs Above Average (OAA), ranking in the 99th percentile, putting him in the elite shortstop conversation.
As our mild-mannered shortstop quietly put together a 2025 season for the books, we mistakenly overlooked him.
Philadelphia sports fans never fail to express their displeasure when a player is struggling. The uproar could not be ignored when the $300 million dollar shortstop was not living up to expectations early in the 2023 season. Yet, when he remarkably turned things around in second half of 2023 and continued the upward trajectory in 2024 and 2025, a proportional response was nowhere to be found.
As Philadelphia sports fans, we are proud of our sports acumen and high standards, and it’s part of what makes us arguably the most passionate fan base in sports. We rightfully demand maximum effort and excellence from high-paid athletes, and expect players to show that their desire to win is as rabid as ours. However, I would argue that we need to strike a balance and make sure we remember to show our love and appreciation and give credit where it’s due, so that players want to come here, love being here, and more importantly for the fans, feel compelled to give everything they have to win here.
