Carlos Santana Didn't Like When His Phillies Teammates Played Fortnite In The Clubhouse During Games Amidst A 9-Game Losing Streak, So He Smashed The TV With A Bat
The Phillies showcased an amazing young core in 2018, one in which they supplemented with tons of veteran talent this past offseason with far and away the best offseason of any team in the MLB. Perhaps an offseason like the one that the Phillies just had was on the horizon regardless of how 2018 concluded, but additional motivating factors were present beyond the “going for it” approach for 2019.
The way that 2018 ended was inexcusable, as the Phillies became the first team in MLB history to be at least 15 games above .500 as late as August 7 and still finish with a sub-.500 record. We never really heard anything about how the team handled such a collapse from the inside, until now.
When the Philadelphia Phillies lost their ninth consecutive game toward the end of last September, veteran first baseman Carlos Santana felt like he needed to send a message to his teammates who he said spent portions of the game against the Atlanta Braves playing video games in the clubhouse. Santana grabbed a bat, retreated to the room at Citizens Bank Park where the gaming took place and smashed the TV to ensure there would be no more “Fortnite” the final two days of the season.
“I see a couple players — I don’t want to say names — they play video games during the game,” Santana told ESPN. “We come and lose too many games, and I feel like they weren’t worried about it. Weren’t respecting their teammates or coaches or the staff or the [front] office. It’s not my personality. But I’m angry because I want to make it good.”
Media loves to have a field day with stories like these. In the big markets, they love scapegoats. Was Fortnite the downfall of the 2018 Philadelphia Phillies? Get the fuck outta here. The Red Sox, admittedly, were up all hours of the night playing Fortnite with each other during the season and they had the season that they had. This all comes down to a lack of focus and not having your priorities straight.
I don’t disagree with Carlos Santana taking a bat to a TV in the clubhouse if his teammates truly were playing video games DURING the game, all while the team was riding a nine-game losing streak out of the playoff picture. This is a guy who had just come from an American League champion Cleveland Indians team. He saw how talented the Phillies were and what the potential was for that 2018 team. I’d be frustrated as hell, too, if my team was 15 games over .500 in August, yet somehow on the verge of finishing the season below .500, all while some players around me visibly could not care less.
My issue with the Santana outburst is that it came too late. You’re not sending a message that can benefit the team when the damage has already been done. Smashing the TV with two games to go says, “You guys fucked up what could’ve been a great season,” versus smashing the TV in late August to say, “You guys are going to fuck up a great season if you don’t get your shit together.” That’s the difference, and it’s a big one.
With the additions of Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura (although, not the best clubhouse guy), JT Realmuto and David Robertson, there will be no lack of veteran presence to ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again in 2019. Sure, fatigue likely set in amongst the young players around the time that the Phillies began their slide, but that’s where the veterans step up and lead by example, getting these younger guys to dig deep who have never had to grind through a 162-game season before.
For his troubles, Santana was dealt back to Cleveland in December. But the message still stands — the Phillies have too much talent to not have results shown on the field. I have a feeling we’ll see those results in 2019, with or without Santana smashing TVs in the clubhouse.