Bryce Harper Had Classy Response to Phillies Fans Booing Team During NLDS Game 2 Loss

Kristen Wong | Oct 7, 2025

Phillies star Bryce Harper was asked about hearing boos from the fans during his team's NLDS Game 2 Loss to the Dodgers. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Monday's NLDS Game 2 between the Phillies and Dodgers didn't end too well for the NL East champs, and the home fans at Citizens Bank Park let them hear it.

As Phillies closer Jhoan Duran came into the ninth inning with the team losing 4–1, boos from Phillies fans rained down onto the mound. The Phillies went on to drop their second game of the series to fall into a 0–2 hole and will now be looking at a Game 3 elimination matchup on Wednesday.

Phillies star Bryce Harper was asked Tuesday about how he felt hearing the boos, and whether that kind of environment negatively affects the team.

His response was all class:

"I don't feel that way. I love playing in the Bank," Harper said. "I love our fans. I boo myself when I get out. I'm the same way. And I trust in what they do. They show up for us every day, day in and day out. So if we deserve to be booed or if we deserve to—you know, they spend their hard-earned dollar to come watch us play. They expect greatness out of us. I expect greatness out of myself and my teammates as well. ... We got some of the best fans in baseball. I don't know. They make me play better. So I enjoy it."

“I boo myself”

🔥 Bryce Harper balks at notion Phillies fans can be against them when playing poorly at home

“I don’t feel that way. I love playing at the bank… if they believe that, I don’t know what’s going through their head… we’ve got some of the best fans in Baseball” pic.twitter.com/LX5YU36C1f

— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) October 7, 2025

The two-time NL MVP's response was notably different compared to that of his teammate, outfielder Nick Castellanos, who seemed to suggest the boos did, in fact, impact the Phillies' performance.

“When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back. When the game is not going good, it’s wind at our face. So, the environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us,” Castellanos said, via The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Castellanos noted that the Phillies can feel an "uphill climb" during those tense moments, and that the team tends to play "more tight" out of fear of wrath and scorn from the fanbase.

Harper and the Phillies may not have to listen to the boos much longer, with their season potentially coming to an end in Game 3 in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

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