Rodriguez rips 'entitled' Phillies fans moments after hitting walk-off HR
Philadelphia Phillies utility man Sean Rodriguez heard nothing but cheers at Citizens Bank Park when he launched a walk-off homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night. That might change when he steps to the plate on Tuesday.
Following his heroic performance, Rodriguez angrily ripped his team's fans for booing star slugger Rhys Hoskins, who has been in an extended slump for the entirety of August. Hoskins heard it from the locals when he popped up with the bases loaded in the ninth as part of an 0-for-5 performance on Monday.
"The guy (Hoskins) has 60-plus homers in three years and you're booing him," Rodriguez told Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia after Monday's game. "Explain that to me. That's entitled fans. I don't know if it's them feeling like they're owed something.
"There's nobody in here that doesn't want to win. That's what sucks. When we hear that, we've learned to try and take that and use it like we should. But if I sat here and just buried you every single day verbally, is that helping?"
Hoskins, now in his third season, is slashing .233/.380/.470 with 25 homers, 73 RBIs, and an MLB-best 101 walks for the Phillies this year. But his overall numbers have plummeted thanks to a brutal August that's seen him post a .551 OPS with only two homers, five RBIs, and nine total hits.
This month has also been a grind for Rodriguez, a 12-year veteran whose hold on a bench spot in Philadelphia has been tenuous. The 34-year-old has seen limited action in August but is just 2-for-25 this month, and Monday's homer marked his first hit in over two weeks, making him a target of Philadelphia's scorn.
"Who's looking bad and feeling entitled when you hear stuff like that?" Rodriguez added. "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 is likely to hear it from Phillies fans on Tuesday, as he's starting at third base in the second game of their home series against Pittsburgh.
Manager Gabe Kapler said he's already talked to Rodriguez about the comments and expects he will "come out ready to play baseball."
"I think Sean's a fiery player, he's an emotional player, he's an emotional person," Kapler said when asked if he was surprised by the timing of Rodriguez's interview, per Dave Uram of KYWN. "And sometimes those moments ... they bring out some things that, you know, you might change the way you said them the next day."