Some Phillies fans show support for struggling Trea Turner by donating to charity
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Phillies return home Friday after a seven-game road trip that should have been better than their 4-3 record. It was an especially bad trip for shortstop Trea Turner, whose miserable first season in Philadelphia continued.
Turner had three hits with eight strikeouts on the trip and had another mishap in the field that played a role in the Phillies' 12-inning loss to the Marlins Wednesday. He's hitting .235 with a .657 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in his first season with the Phils.
The rough week has led to many people wondering how Phillies fans will welcome Turner home.
Could they give them a standing ovation? That was how fans showed love to Alec Bohm after his "I [expletive] hate this place" comments last season. Could they bring down the boos on him?
Some Phillies fans on Reddit are doing something else: donating to a charity close to Turner's heart to show their support.
Reddit user phillyeagles540 posted in the Phillies subreddit that they donated $21 to the V Foundation.
U/phillyeagles540 wrote in the OP:
"I've been particularly negative about Trea Turner, and although I haven't voiced my opinion a great deal on here, I wanted to turn some of that negativity into positivity and donate to a cause he himself cares deeply about.
I have decided to take his jersey number (7) and multiply that by the amount of games I've attended so far this year. I implore others to donate or contribute as much as they're comfortable! This could very well flop in terms of a post on here, but I wanted to at least throw out the opportunity for others to do the same: https://www.v.org"
Other Phillies fans followed suit -- including u/chair823, u/lightw1thoutheat and u/reloop2st.
Why The V Foundation for Cancer Research, which was founded by ESPN and legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano? It's a charity Turner and his wife, Kristin, advocate for. Last month, the Turners hosted families from the foundation at Citizens Bank Park.
In a story on the V Foundation's website, Turner said that he and his wife were touched by Valvano's story.
"He is a huge part of the reason we got involved. He is a great example of perseverance and positivity," Turner told The V Foundation. "We loved his message of never giving up, and we feel a strong connection with him through the NC State community."
The Phillies and Turner open up a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
We'll see how the crowd welcomes Turner home, but for these Phillies fans on Reddit, they've found a way to show Turner that they're still in his corner.
