The Philadelphia Phillies did exactly what they needed to do in Game 1 of a best-of-five NLDS against the Atlanta Braves: Stole a road game. Philly has arguably the best home-field advantage in baseball the last few seasons, and with two games now to come in both locations and Philly needing just two more, Philly may have secured itself the upper-hand in the series.
Braves fans were entirely displeased with Game 1, as the Braves offense -- which normally smothered and overpowered opponents -- failed to score even a run.
So disgusted that they threw trash on the field. Yikes. Game 1 was a bad look for the Braves, but perhaps an even worse look for its fans.
Phillies radio commentator Larry Anderson made sure to remind listeners that, hey, this is Atlanta fans we're talking about acting out of turn, not Philly fans!
Philadelphia fans have had a year of reputation restoration
The narrative swirling around Philadelphia sports fans is probably not entirely fair. They get slammed for being disrespectful and taking things too far. Commonly, dated and cherry-picked stories -- like the time Santa Claus had batteries thrown at him -- are referenced to prove the point.
Another narrative is that Philly fans will turn on their own players in an instant if they don't perform. They put that directly on its head this year with Trea Turner, a slumping star who was simply in need of an oomph from the fans.
Fans cheered for Turner even when he was underperforming. Shortly after, he started to play at the level we've all come to expect him to. An epic, wholesome moment that caused a moment of cognitive dissonance for Philly haters.
So, while "fans throw trash on the field in the NLDS between the Philies and Braves" might have been on your bingo card as coming from Philly fans, not so fast. Check your bias.
Keep this one in mind next time you try to call Phillies fans the worst in baseball...
