Harper defends hostile Phillies fans: 'I boo myself'
Bryce Harper took no issue with Philadelphia Phillies fans booing during the team's Game 2 loss to fall behind 2-0 in the National League Division Series.
"I boo myself when I get out. I'm the same way," Harper said Tuesday. "I trust in what they do. They show up for us every day, day in and day out.
"So, if we deserve to be booed ... they spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play; they expect greatness out of us and I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates as well. ... We've got some of the best fans in baseball. They make me play better. I enjoy it."
“I boo myself”
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) October 7, 2025
🔥 Bryce Harper balks at notion Phillies fans can be against them when playing poorly at home
“I don’t feel that way. I love playing at the bank… if they believe that, I don’t know what’s going through their head… we’ve got some of the best fans in Baseball” pic.twitter.com/LX5YU36C1f
Harper's comments came after some of his teammates discussed the challenges of playing at Citizens Bank Park.
"I think that the stadium is good on both sides," Nick Castellanos said, according to Bob Cooney of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"When the game is going good, it's wind at our back. When the game is not going good, it's wind at our face. So, the environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us."
The Phillies have struggled at home lately, losing four of their last seven games - including the postseason.
If the Phillies can beat the Dodgers in Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles, they'll need to close out the series in front of their home fans in Game 5.
Trea Turner is confident in that outcome.
"We've won three games in a row before, we've swept good teams," Turner said.
"We've played good baseball. We got to find that. We've got to find it quick. I feel like we've played pretty decent these last two games, we just haven't had enough to get the win. I don't feel like we're really beating ourselves. We're playing good defense, we're getting some hits here and there. It just doesn't seem like enough each step of the way."
Game 3 of the NLDS gets underway Wednesday at 9:08 p.m. ET.
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