Philadelphia Phillies Infielder Reflects on Hometown Crowd Reaction

The Philadelphia Phillies had a dramatic Monday win and one player reflected on the crowd reaction.

Apr 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Tigers second baseman Buddy Kennedy (40) celebrates his RBI sacrifice fly against the Minnesota Twins in the first inning at Target Field. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of a run to win the division, up eight games ahead of the New York Mets who are one of the hottest teams in baseball. On Monday, they played a tight game against the Tampa Bay Rays and won on a walk-off hit by Kody Clemens. In a pinch hit situation in the ninth, Buddy Kennedy drew a walk and spoke about the atmosphere and crowd reaction to him.

Over the last year, Kennedy had spent time with four other organizations before landing with the Phillies. He was acquired by the Detroit Tigers in June in exchange for cash and made his Philadelphia debut on September 6th.

It was a notable call for Kennedy, as the Phillies are really his hometown team. Born in New Jersey, he was the second player to ever be drafted out of Millville High School. The first? Mike Trout.

Growing up going to Citizens Bank Park, his home debut was bound to be an emotional one. Hearing his name chanted was a different story altogether.

"That was definitely different. Obviously growing up, obviously a Phillies fan, obviously being on the fan side of it, right? And chanting all my life, and then being in the box. I was calm and collected when I got in there. And then when I heard the 'BUDDY' chants I was like, 'okay dude, you just got to relax,'" Kennedy told reporters.

The journeyman infielder drew a crucial walk in the ninth with two outs to load the bases for Kody Clemens to drive in Bryce Harper.

Kennedy has yet to get a hit in three games so far. However, in 63 Triple-A games, he slashed .295/.397/.513 for a .910 OPS along with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs.

A former Arizona Diamondbacks Organizational All-Star, he has hit everywhere he's been at the minor league level, but just hasn't quite figured it out in the Major Leagues. However, if he can provide consistently good at-bats, the infielder could be good depth for the Phillies.

"It was something very special. And I'll always remember that for the rest of my life," Kennedy continued.

After bouncing from team to team over the last year, the feeling of having his name chanted in the ballpark he grew up going to was surely an emotional moment for Kennedy. To top it off, he gave a good at-bat that gave his team a better chance to win. All in all, a good day.