Phillies star Trea Turner put on a show during the eighth inning of Saturday’s clash against the Nationals.
The NL East rivalry was knotted up at 3–3 during the eighth frame, that is until Turner started off a huge inning with a solo shot against his former team. Philadelphia’s lineup didn’t step off the gas after Turner’s home run, and they managed to blow open the game during the inning.
Turner came up to bat for a second time in the eighth inning, with the Phillies leading 10–3 at that point. The 30-year-old followed up his earlier bomb with his second of the inning, this one which went over the wall in left field.
Just a casual two-homer inning for Trea Turner ????
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) August 19, 2023
(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/GE1mhZUco6
In addition to the pair of homers from Turner, Bryson Stott launched a three-run shot during the eighth inning. The Phillies tacked on another run in the ninth via a Jake Cave home run.
Turner’s two-home run inning was the first by a Phillies player since Von Hayes 1985, and he’s just the 59th player in league history to achieve the feat, per Jonny Heller.
Turner’s struggles during his first season in Philadelphia have not gone unnoticed by the fanbase. Entering Saturday’s game, the shortstop had a .694 OPS, down from the .809 mark he recorded in 2022.
Turner, who signed an 11-year, $300 million deal with the Phillies in the offseason, has been the recipient of boos from fans at Citizens Bank Park during the heights of his struggles. The fanbase eventually came around, however, turning their frustration into support, a gesture Turner repaid by thanking fans on billboards across the city.
He’s repaying their kindness on the field now, too, as his a power surge during the eighth inning of Saturday’s game could go a long way toward helping Philadelphia maintain its NL Wild Card spot.
