It looks as though Philadelphia may have worked some magic on Trea Turner.
The star shortstop entered Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 4 with a .679 OPS and a nightmare of a season developing after he signed an 11-year, $300 million contract this offseason.
A couple of friendly standing ovations later — planned by Phillies fans to support Turner through his rough patch — it appears the two-time All-Star and former batting champion has turned it around.
Since the weekend Philadelphia banded together to show Turner support, the shortstop is batting a scorching .369 (35-for-95) with nine homers and 26 RBIs.
Turner’s slugging has really taken off recently, as he owns a 1.242 OPS with seven homers over his last 14 days and has sent the Phillies faithful home happy with a barrage of clutch homers over the last week.
Turner’s season slash line is up to .258/.310/.437, good for a .747 OPS, the highest it has been since April.
The Phillies have caught fire along with Turner, earning a 17-10 record in August that looks like it could signal another deep postseason run is well on its way.
After the Aug. 4 game against the Royals in which Phillies fans applauded Turner, which included an RBI single from the shortstop, he said he started to notice himself get back to how he normally felt.
“That third [at-bat] was really good,” Turner told the Philadelphia Inquirer after the game. “That’s my swing right there. Something I haven’t been able to do for a while is hit that fastball the other way. I feel like I’ve fouled that pitch off a thousand times this year. For that swing to come out right there is a really good sign.”
“The fans have my back, and they’re showing up for me. It’s pretty cool to see,” Turner added, according to the Associated Press.
Turner is going to new lengths to show his appreciation: he bought billboards across Philadelphia to send a thank-you message to the city’s fans.
