On Saturday evening, he earned one.
Turner despatched the sold-out crowd at Citizens Bank Park right into a frenzy with a go-ahead three-run homer within the sixth inning of the Phillies’ 9-6 win vs. the Royals. The hometown followers had as soon as once more welcomed him to the plate with a loud ovation, however following his journey across the bases, they solely grew louder till he emerged from the first-base dugout for a curtain name.
“Curtain calls are special,” Turner stated. “I like watching other teammates do it, not necessarily being the guy up there, but it means you did something good or something big in a big moment. It was fun.”
Trailing by one with two on and no one out, Turner jumped throughout a first-pitch sinker from Royals reliever Angel Zerpa for his first dwelling run since July 8. It was Turner’s first dwelling run in Philadelphia since June 25. Excluding 4 homers within the first inning, it was his first go-ahead dwelling run in a Phillies uniform.
It was solely Turner’s second homer with a runner on base this season — and his first with a number of runners on. With one swing, he matched his RBI whole from his previous 21 video games mixed. Turner later drove in an insurance coverage run with an eighth-inning double, giving him a season-high 4 RBIs.
“It was a good one because I hadn’t done that in a long time — it’d been a minute,” Turner stated of his journey across the bases. “That’s what I want to do: be a complete hitter, drive the ball and make a difference in games. Given the past few days, it felt really good.”
And it could not have come at a greater time for the Phillies.
Not solely had Philadelphia watched an early lead slip away for a second straight evening towards the last-place Royals, however heart fielder Brandon Marsh exited within the fifth inning with a left knee damage (X-rays have been detrimental) after crashing into the center-field wall. That play began what proved to be an unpleasant four-run body, capped by Maikel Garcia stealing third base and scoring when J.T. Realmuto’s throw sailed into left discipline.
Facing a three-run deficit, Bryce Harper offered a direct reply with a no-doubt two-run homer to left-center discipline within the backside half. One inning later, Turner lastly answered the decision.
“That was really something. It really was,” supervisor Rob Thomson stated. “To get the curtain call and the whole thing — I just feel so happy for him.”
As Turner fielded questions within the media scrum following the sport, he did so with colourful cereal nonetheless smashed towards his again — courtesy of double-play associate Bryson Stott’s customary antics in the course of the postgame TV interview.
“Outside of the playoffs, obviously, I think that was one of the coolest things I’ve seen,” Stott stated of the previous two days. “In the media and all that, all you hear is how this place is terrible, you don’t want to play here, they don’t like their players and blah, blah, blah.”
But watching the reception Turner bought on Friday evening and the response to his momentous homer?
“I was like, ‘There. This is Philadelphia. And this is why we love playing here,’” Stott stated.
Despite his season-long struggles, Turner has had his share of massive moments this season, every brimming with the hope that it marks a turning level.
So does this time really feel totally different?
“Yeah,” Turner stated, “but you’ve still got to show up every day. It’s a hard game. You play every day, I take pride in that. So do it all again tomorrow and keep competing.”
“I always feel that way,” Thomson added, with a smile. “So yeah, I’m hoping that’s the way it is.”
Either means, it’s actually an enchancment from Wednesday, when Turner was standing in entrance of the cameras taking possession for a 12-inning loss to the Marlins wherein he went 0-for-5 and made a probably game-deciding miscue.
But that was all greater than 72 hours — and plenty of ovations — in the past.
“I forgot about that a long time ago,” Turner stated. “My wife doesn’t like it, but I focus on one thing at a time and she tries to plan everything out. … Can’t change the past and the future’s not here yet.”
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