Merrill Kelly, a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, is no stranger to the Philadelphia area and its devoted sports fans, writes Mark Powell for FanSided.

Having lived in Bryn Mawr for almost five years while growing up and having been at a World Series game at the Citizens Bank Park, Kelly said he could handle the crowd at the Bank easily for Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.

And of course, Phillies fans accepted the challenge.

Fans at game Tuesday night loudly heckled him on the mound, according to ClutchPoints, as the Phillies continued their winning streak, with a Game 2 score of 10-0.

Kelly said his comments were “taken out of context,” but that the game was still a lot of fun.

His initial comment was that he doubted that Phillies fans were louder than those at the World Baseball Classic in Venezuela last spring. While he didn’t mean it to be a challenge, it definitely fired up Phillies fans at Tuesday’s game.

Kelly told 94 WIP, “It was definitely loud…Whether its’ 45,000 people cheering for you or against you, that’s kind of what get us [players] going.”

Kelly also had plenty of good things to say about Philly sports fans. Read more about Merrill Kelly’s comments and how Phillies fans responded at FanSided and ClutchPoint.

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