There were many empty seats at Nationals Park as the Philadelphia Phillies arrived in D.C. to begin their first series with the Washington Nationals this season.
The absence of fans wasn't due to an uninteresting matchup, but the threat of rain, even though the game did start on time.
In fact, the faceoff between these two teams was much anticipated because of the offseason arrival of the Phillies' former slugger, Jayson Werth, to a lowly Nationals club.
Now that Werth has taken the field against his old team, maybe the hopelessly cliché headlines with annoying puns can finally be put to rest. Many of you know what I'm talking about, so I'm not going to further sicken myself by repeating them.
It was not a surprise that a large number of fans who did attend Tuesday night's NL East matchup were supporters of the Phils and as expected, reacted harshly to the reunion with their former right fielder.
One fan proudly raised a sign that read, "Hope the money was worth it!" Okay, I said I wouldn't repeat any puns, but at least I spelled "worth" the correct way.
Werth is definitely rolling in the cash after signing a $126 million contract with the Nats, but he better hope his new team improves, or it will be a long seven years in the nation's capitol.
Every time the Phils flied out to right and Werth secured the out, a chorus of boos resounded in the chilly night air. This occurred several times in the early innings and also when he stepped to the plate and grounded out in his first at-bat.
On the other hand, Werth did receive cheers from his new fans as he hit his fourth double of the season and recorded a run in the fourth inning.
Later in the fifth, he smashed a homer in the face of Joe Blanton and the Phillies amid even more praise from the home team supporters.
Now we'll just have to wait and compare the fan reaction upon Werth's return to Citizen's Bank Park in early May. At least he can take comfort in knowing that Philly fans aren't known to be the nicest around.
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