Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper had a poor effort defensively and offensively during a loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
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May 1 (UPI) -- It didn't take long for Philadelphia Phillies fans to morph their rabid respect for Bryce Harper when he first arrived into the boisterous boos he recently received.
Phillies fans first vocalized their displeasure for the superstar outfielder in the third inning of a 3-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Harper was out in right field when a ball dropped between him, Cesar Hernandez and Rhys Hoskins, allowing a double to the Tigers' Nick Castellanos.
The Tigers went on to score three runs in the inning and took a 3-1 edge into the fourth frame.
Harper -- who went 0-for-4 in the loss -- was the target of more boos in the eighth inning. Tigers left fielder Niko Goodrum was at the plate during that sequence. Goodrum was facing Phillies reliever Adam Morgan during the eighth inning exchange.
Goodrum hit a 1-1 changeup from Morgan to shallow right field. Harper ran toward the first base line to track the ball, but it got caught up in the wind. He overran the fly ball and had to jet back to his right. Harper gloved the ball at first, but couldn't hold onto it as he it the ground.
The fielding error allowed Goodrum to reach second base.
"I'd do the same thing," Harper told reporters, when asked about the boos. "It's not fun to lose, it's not fun to watch when you're playing that way. [I was] 0-for-4 with two punchies, I'm probably thinking the same thing walking back to the dugout."
Harper is now hitting .240 on the season with six home runs and 20 RBIs for the 16-13 Phillies. He has . been walked a National League-high 23 times in 29 games.
The Phillies and Tigers resume their three-game series at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday in Philadelphia.
