Jayson Werth last played for the Phillies during 2010, when the team won their fourth consecutive National League East title. (Brian Michael/PhilliesNation)
Just over a year ago, Jayson Werth was asked by MASN‘s Dan Kolko whether he thought Philadelphia Phillies fans would embrace him if he returned for the 10-year anniversary of the team’s 2008 World Series title. Werth quipped that he would “probably have a game that day,” which would have made the whole debate a moot point.
Werth didn’t end up having a game during the Phillies celebration of their 2008 World Series title, as he retired from baseball late in June. So he returned to Philadelphia with his red hulk fist Sunday – and after suggesting that hearing cheers from Phillies fans would be important to him, Werth was met with cheers:
Phillies fans greet Jayson Werth with loud cheers as he’s introduced as part of the 2008 World Series championship team. Beforehand, Werth said it’d mean quite a bit and would be pretty special if he was cheered today. pic.twitter.com/1IZsOm2jdr
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 5, 2018
Given that Werth was back in Philadelphia as a representative of the 2008 World Series champions, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he heard cheers. Heck, Ruben Amaro Jr. – the club’s polarizing former general manager – heard light cheers when he returned for 1993 alumni weekend earlier this season. Amaro only batted 48 times in 1993 and wasn’t on the team’s postseason roster. Werth batted second in Game 1 of the World Series. Just how loud the cheers were was perhaps the surprising part.
Now 39, Werth hit 95 homeruns and posted an 18.1 fWAR between 2007 and 2010, his four seasons with the Phillies. Despite playing for a franchise that has employed Mike Schmidt, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, Werth became the franchise’s all-time leader in postseason home runs. Simply because of the length of his tenure with the Washington Nationals, most likely won’t remember him as a Phillie. But Werth did have an extremely successful four season run in Philadelphia, perhaps one that will now be remembered fondly again by Phillies fans.
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