Taijuan Walker was a surprise no-show for the Philadelphia Phillies in the postseason, not throwing a single pitch.
That’s surprising given his regular season stats (31 starts, 15-6 record) and the big contract (four years, $72 million) he signed last offseason.
Despite being on the postseason roster, Walker did not pitch. And after the Phillies’ elimination by the Arizona Diamondbacks in NLCS Game 7 Tuesday night, he sent a cryptic tweet.
“Disrespect is at an all time high #nextyear,” Walker tweeted.
Disrespect is at an all time high #nextyear
— Taijuan Walker (@tai_walker) October 25, 2023
The tweet went out at 2:04 a.m. (ET), the time of night when many regrettable tweets surface. It mystified fans. Did Walker mean disrespect for the Phillies? Or disrespect for himself, for not pitching in the postseason?
If it’s any indication, the posts Walker liked in response to his tweet seemed to indicate he was talking about personal disrespect.
To me, you not pitching in the postseason was the true disrespect. Thank you for supporting your teammates.
— Jim Miller (@jmiller678) October 25, 2023
The disrespect is from your manager. He had no faith in you, which was a joke and his game decision cost the Phillies this series. REMEMBER THAT!
— Gröver of PhiIIy (@TJE5909) October 25, 2023
Many fans agreed that Walker deserved a shot to pitch in the offseason, that if he was upset he had every right to express his disappointment.
Other fans were not so kind, saying Walker picked a bad time for the message, and that manager Rob Thomson had reason not to pitch him.
Cryptic statement: Toward the team from fair-weather fans? Or toward you by not letting you pitch an inning in the playoffs? I thought that was shameful, given how much you contributed. You probably can't say much because you're a great team player. But I would've been pissed! 😠
— Kevin Eugene Smith (@Smithkev007) October 25, 2023
You earn respect by playing to your contract … it’s not just given. Maybe if you weren’t an automatic 3-4 runs you’d get playing time when it counts rather than passive-agressive tweeting after the fact 🤷🏻♂️
— Carl Thomas (@carlt230) October 25, 2023
not the right time for this my dude
— mattgpa.eth (@themoderatematt) October 25, 2023
Maybe you would’ve pitched if you weren’t a guaranteed 4 runs
— garbaggio (@rise_and_grime) October 25, 2023
You had a solid year, and us real fans appreciate it. You were a fixture on that dugout step in the playoffs, being a great teammate. That shows your character. Great season. Go Phils!!!
— James Lanza (@JamesLanza10) October 25, 2023
Maybe if you were a better pitcher you could have played and made a difference
— msdr (@mdelrossi1) October 25, 2023
Cryptic! Towards the diamondbacks and their celebration, towards the fans, towards the manager and team…..
Man, seriously though, I know the season came apart for you a bit in the end but mad respect to how you put the team first all postseason, always top step, cheering! 👏
— Sean Kleckner (@SeanKleckner) October 25, 2023
Thank you Tai for all your hard work this season. Didn’t see you in the playoffs but we couldn’t have gotten there without you 💪💪💪 looking forward to seeing you in action next season.
— Joe Marchione (@Joe_Marchione) October 25, 2023
Hopefully #nextyear we can somehow move your abysmal contract off the books.
— Joey Mullen (@joeymullen_) October 25, 2023
