Philadelphia showcases true passion during Home Run Derby

PHILADELPHIA – The bar has been set. 

The raucous, sellout crowd of 43,863, primarily Philadelphia Phillies fans, created arguably the loudest atmosphere for a Home Run Derby Monday night at Citizens Bank Ballpark. 

It started from the jump when Kyle Schwarber was the first participant introduced by Michael Buffer. The slugging designated hitter took the field to roaring applause, which set the tone for the entire exhibition. 

It only intensified when Schwarber faced Willson Contreras in the semifinal round. 

Schwarber bashed nine long balls on 15 swings, finding his rhythm after not homering on his first five swings in the opening round. With each home run, the cheers reached new decibels from the Philly faithful. Near the end of his round, fans rose to their feet, cheering as if they were rooting for Cristopher Sanchez to strikeout the final batter of an inning in a playoff series. 

Then Boston’s slugger stepped to the plate to deafening boos. 

Boos rang out in between every pitch David Flores threw to Contreras. They got louder when he smashed baseballs into the upper deck in left field.

The cheers were deafening when he made outs, especially on his final swing, where he needed a homer to tie Schwarber. 

Instead, he got underneath the pitch, and cheers exploded throughout the ballpark as if the Phillies had just clinched a trip to the World Series.

The fans seemingly willed their beloved home run hitter to the finals with a 9-8 victory. 

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"I think it's good. That's what they do here. They've been booing me for 10 years; I have fun with it," Contreras said after the Derby. 

“All the guys were walking up for when they were introduced and they said, ‘Man, the hometown cooking’s real here.’ And I was like yeah, it is." This is Philadelphia," Schwarber told the media afterwards. 

He's right.

What we saw…or what we heard more so—is what this city and fanbase embody. 

They care. They are passionate.

They cheer until voices are lost. They reach a volume that sets your Apple Watch off for loud noise warnings. 

Whether it’s to razz an opposing team coming into Citizens Bank Park at the start of Red October or, in Monday night's case, wanting to see one of their own win a glorified batting practice on the national stage, it means something. 

The thunderous booing also serves in a similar manner, much to the chagrin of outsiders. 

For those who don’t understand, they just describe Philadelphia fans as “mean” and "nasty," with their only retort being bringing up the ‘Santa Claus Incident’ nearly 60 years ago. 

But Monday night, the non-Phillies participants enjoyed the rowdy crowd. 

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“Philly was brutal. But it’s special because they love their players," Jordan Walker said at the podium after becoming the first St. Louis Cardinal to ever win the Derby.

"I mean, I’d never heard people cheer so loud like [when] Schwarber and Harper and those guys did their thing. I can’t hate them because that’s their hometown, that's their guy."

New York Yankees power-hitting first baseman cracked a smile when he walked up to the left-handed batter's box, hearing the boos cascade down on him.

"The boos were crazy, especially in the opening ceremony. It was so cool. I always like the saying, "They don't boo nobodies."

The thing is, Philadelphia fans in fact will boo nobodies.

Whether you're the 26th man on an MLB roster or an opposing hitter who has sustained success against their beloved baseball team. 

They will let you hear it, and they certainly were heard on Monday night.