During his two-plus year tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies, starter Taijuan Walker hasn’t had many moments that made fans stand up and cheer for him. But, in what was likely his best start for the Phillies, brought Citizens Bank Park to its feet on Thursday.
It was a moment that made not only Walker emotional, but someone special to him up in the stands.
Taijuan Walker’s mother might have fueled his dominant start to help the Phillies sweep the Rockies on Thursday
After being asked about what his thoughts were when receiving the standing ovation from fans on his way off the mound, the 32-year-old acknowledged and appreciated the support. However, he quickly diverted to how special the moment was for his mother, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
“My mom was here today, and I know she loved that,” Walker said, per Zolecki. “It made her feel good. So, as long as she’s happy, yeah.”
The Louisiana native was almost perfect through six innings on Thursday afternoon, allowing only four base runners and only six hard-hit balls (exit velocities over 95 mph). After being booed just three days earlier on Opening Day, a surprise weekday gem gave the fans no choice but to get on their feet.
The former All-Star with the New York Mets spoke about the texts from his mother after the game and how they were much more supportive and how she was just a proud mother.
“Just super proud, super happy,” Walker said, per Zolecki. “She said she was up there crying the whole time.”
It’s not the first time Walker has brought up his mother’s support, and critique
One of his biggest supporters, but also biggest critics, his mother Nellie Garcia has been known to message Walker during his starts, expecting perfection from him. During an interview with ESPN’s Jim Caple in 2016, Walker spoke a bit about their relationship.
“She’s pretty tough on me, too. She’ll give me a lot of crap,” Walker told Caple. “She’ll text me like, ‘You’re going to walk him on four straight pitches?’ or ‘Really, you’re going to give up three runs?’ She wants me to be perfect every time.”
Walker will continue to slot into the fifth spot in the rotation until either Ranger Suárez is healthy enough to make his return to the starting five or the Phillies are ready to throw top pitching prospect Andrew Painter to the wolves. Although the team has said that they are aiming for a mid-summer timeline.
After Walker’s solid 2023 and dreadful 2024, his most recent start brings his career Phillies ERA to 5.15 while owning a record of 19-13. Having an $18 million a year salary with a subpar performance has put a sour taste in fans’ mouths, but fans will have a quick memory if Walker starts putting things together.