Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel is not among the most beloved professional athletes in his city right now.
The Phillies closer was given a rude welcome Monday when he entered Game 6 of the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa. The Philly fans showered him with boos as he ran onto the field for his lone inning of relief in the 8th.
Some boos for Craig Kimbrel coming out with intro music for the 8th pic.twitter.com/NV8bnc2jHh
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 23, 2023
The 35-year-old pitcher was charged with the loss in both Games 3 and 4 against the Diamondbacks. Kimbrel surrendered the game-winning RBI to second baseman Ketel Marte in the 9th inning of Game 3. Kimbrel then gave up a game-changing 2-run home run to outfielder Alek Thomas in the 8th inning of Game 4.
Kimbrel’s stumbles led Phillies manager Rob Thomson to demote the pitcher to “lower-leverage situations.” He entered the 8th inning on Monday with his Phillies trailing 5-1. Kimbrel allowed no hits and one walk in what was a clean inning for Philadelphia.
The Phillies’ former closer finished the 2023 regular season with an ERA of 3.26 and 23 saves in 28 save opportunities.
