This was supposed to be a coronation. The Midsummer Classic landed in Philadelphia, Citizens Bank Park got the spotlight, and the Phillies rolled out a stacked contingent of representatives in front of their own crowd. Instead, the AL steamrolled the NL 4-0, and the hometown guys were at the center of why it got ugly early.
Cristopher Sanchez got the ball and lasted exactly 1 inning, getting tagged for 3 earned runs before he could even settle in. At the plate it wasn't much better — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh combined to go 0-for-5, with all 3 of them striking out at least once. For a team that built its whole brand around showing up in big moments, an 0-fer in front of the home fans is about as bad a look as it gets.
The Phillies May Have Had the Worst All-Star Week Performance of Any Team in MLB History @ConnerHKnapp
That's not hyperbole for hyperbole's sake — StoolBaseball is arguing this might be the worst All-Star week any team has strung together, and it's hard to push back when you stack the individual pieces on top of each other. It wasn't just the game itself, either. Bryce Harper was bounced from the Home Run Derby after just 20 swings, and Kyle Schwarber came up 1 long ball short of taking home the Derby trophy. So the marquee Phillies stars struck out early in the fun event and then struck out again on the main stage.
Naturally, that kind of collapse in your own building doesn't go unnoticed by the Barstool crowd. Pardon My Take jumped on the discourse around a viral graphic that framed the whole week as the Phillies simply not showing up, and the reaction has apparently gotten heated among fans defending the guys.
Tensions are at an all time high over a graphic that said the Phillies didn’t show up in the All Star game
Barstool's main account piled on too, needling Philly fans over letting this happen in a game their own team was supposed to headline. When you host the All-Star Game, win the bid, sell out the merch and the marketing around your own stars, and then watch them go hitless while getting run out of an inning, the fanbase is going to hear about it.
Philly fans need to go back to the drawing board after allowing this to happen t.co/nqzmHqYHsR
None of this changes the standings — All-Star Games don't count, and Derby flameouts are forgotten by August. But for a franchise that's been building a reputation as one of the sport's most confident, chip-on-the-shoulder clubs, getting cooked in your own house during your own showcase is the kind of thing that sticks around online a lot longer than the box score does.