Alec Bohm says ‘I f–king hate this place’ after Phillies fans’ sarcastic cheer
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm said he let his emotions get the best of him when he dropped an F-bomb in Philadelphia’s 5-4 comeback win against the Mets on Monday.
After the game, Bohm apologized for being caught on camera saying, “I f–king hate this place” to Phillies teammate Didi Gregorius, apparently referring to Philadelphia.
Bohm appeared frustrated after hearing sarcastic cheers from fans at Citizens Bank Park, when he made a routine play at third at the top of the second. The taunting came after he committed two throwing errors.
Cameras captured a closeup of Bohm during the heated moment, which he was asked about after the game.
“Look, emotions got the best of me. I said it. Do I mean it? No,” Bohm told reporters. “It’s a frustrating night for me, obviously. Made a few mistakes in the field.
“Look, these people, these fans, they just want to win. You heard it, we come back, they’re great. I’m just sorry to them. I don’t mean that and emotions just got the best of me.”
When asked by a reporter, “So you actually love this place?” Bohm smiled and said, “You know what, yeah I do.”
Phillies manager Joe Girardi said, “I think it’s a kid that was frustrated. I don’t think that kid was referring to, you know, the city of Philadelphia, the fans. I think he was referring to the situation he was in.
“Put yourself in his shoes. That’s got to be a tough place. I told him I’ve been there. I’ve had three passed balls. I’ve had passed balls to lose a game. In that situation, you hate everything. Think about what he was feeling. It’s not a fun situation.”
Bohm made three errors at third base in the first three innings. His first occurred when he charged a ball that bounced off Ranger Suarez’s glove and threw wildly to right field.
His second error in the second inning was on a routine grounder that he threw over first baseman Rhys Hoskins and into foul territory. Bohm’s third error was a throw that forced Hoskins off the bag.
Bohm’s struggles came at a time when he’s fighting for the third base job over rookie Bryson Stott. The 25-year-old Bohm was selected by the Phillies with the third pick in the 2018 draft out of Wichita State University and was considered one of the jewels of the Phillies farm system before his arrival in the big leagues.
Before Monday’s win over the Mets, Girardi said he decided to start Bohm over Scott because of previous success against Mets starter Taijuan Walker.
“He’s had success off of Walker. And as I said, they’re both going to play. I think it’s important they both play,” Girardi said.
The Phillies trailed 4-0 before they scored five runs in the eighth against two Mets relievers for a stunning comeback.
Philadelphia plays host to the Mets Tuesday and Wednesday to complete a three-game series between the NL East rivals.