Trea Turner’s Strange Home Run Drought at Citizens Bank Park
So, here’s something pretty wild about Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. He’s got 12 home runs this season, which sounds great, right? But here’s the bizarre part — not a single one of them has come at Citizens Bank Park, his home field in Philadelphia. Zero. None. Every single homer has been on the road.
Turner himself doesn’t have an explanation. When asked about it, he simply shrugged and admitted he has “no idea.” Phillies manager Rob Thomson is equally baffled. What started off as just a quirky stat is starting to look almost historic. If Turner doesn’t manage to hit one at home before the season ends, he’ll find himself in some rare company. The last player to hit at least 12 home runs in a season without one at home was José Cruz back in 1984. And to go beyond that, you’d have to go all the way back to 1939 when Ken Keltner did it with Cleveland. The all-time record for road-only home runs in a season is 17, set in 1926.
Also Read:Now, here’s where it gets even crazier: according to Statcast, if you took every one of Turner’s batted balls this year and dropped them into Citizens Bank Park, he’d actually have more home runs. All 12 of his road shots would have been homers there, and three additional flyouts would’ve cleared the fence too. That would give him 15 home runs at CBP — one of his highest potential totals in any ballpark. Yet in reality, the total sits stubbornly at zero.
So what’s going on? Statistically, Turner’s swing patterns don’t look unusual. He’s actually pulling the ball a little more often at home than he does on the road, which usually favors power. The difference seems to be in where he’s making his best contact. At home, he’s been hitting pitches on the outer part of the plate really well, but those don’t carry as far. On the road, most of his home runs have come on pitches more toward the middle or inside, the kind you can really drive with power. That contrast has left him with a solid batting average at home — he’s hitting nearly .300 at CBP — but with a much lower slugging percentage.
And just to rub salt in the wound, he’s already had a few long fly balls at home that would’ve been home runs in several other parks. One 380-foot shot to left-center would’ve been gone in at least five stadiums but instead stayed in the yard in Philly.
The good news for Phillies fans is that this isn’t seen as a real problem. Turner has hit plenty of home runs at Citizens Bank Park in past seasons, so history suggests this is just a strange coincidence. Still, it’s become one of those odd baseball storylines that everyone’s keeping an eye on. Maybe the next homestand will finally break the spell — but until then, the wait for Turner’s first home run in Philadelphia continues.
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