Aug 4, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) receives a standing ovation from fans as he comes to the plate to bat during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Netflix announced on Wednesday that The Turnaround, a documentary about the standing ovation that changed the course of Trea Turner's 2023 season, will premiere on the streaming platform on October 18. The film focuses on the role that the Philly Captain--whose government name is Jon McCann--played in popularizing the concept of the ovation among Phillies fans. McCann is a well-known Philadelphia social media personality, with tens of thousands of subscribers across multiple platforms such as YouTube and twitter.
Netflix has acquired the rights to a short film about the Phillies fan who helped orchestrate a standing ovation for Trea Turner during his hitting slump in 2023
The Turnaround, produced in association with Major League Baseball and directed by Kyle Thrash and Ben Proudfoot,… pic.twitter.com/qnU3a4j5of
— MLB (@MLB) September 25, 2024
The ovation is already a legendary story in Philadelphia. Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies in December 2022, but struggled through the first few months of the 2023 season, hitting .235/.290/.368 (.658 OPS) through 107 games. As the Phils neared the end of an early August road trip, he was at rock bottom. Turner went hitless in five at-bats in an August 2 game in Miami and botched a ground ball that cost the Phillies a win. He hit .103 overall on the trip and was set to return to Philadelphia as public enemy number one.
But in Turner's next game at Citizens Bank Park, on August 4, Phillies fans instead gave him the warmest welcome imaginable.
Philly's got ya, Trea 👏 pic.twitter.com/KRIO03u8sN
Turner started a ten-game hitting streak that day. He hit a three-run home run the next night in a 9-6 Phillies win. And in the 48 regular season games after the ovation, Turner hit an incredible .337/.389/.668 (1.057 OPS) with 16 home runs in 193 ABs.
On Pattison spoke to the Captain about the ovation and the documentary weeks ago, when McCann was at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. He told us that he believed Turner's struggles at the plate in 2023 were mental, rather than physical. And because he had overcome mental health issues of his own, McCann felt like he knew how to help Turner.
"In 2012 I had a mental breakdown and I was suicidal," McCann told us from Colorado. "My mom and dad surrounded me with love at a time when I was, like, losing my mind. I was out of my fucking mind . . . And that’s one of the reasons why I felt sympathetic for Trea Turner, because I saw his body language and I was like, I just wanna help the fucking guy."
McCann knew that Turner needed positive energy. He used his social media platforms to encourage fans to give the shortstop a standing ovation:
Let’s give Trea Turner a standing ovation this weekend. #Phillies #trea #baseball #philly pic.twitter.com/4ZmBX7ZdZM
And the rest is history.
News of the documentary's Netflix premiere, unfortunately, reignited debate among some about the origins of the Turner ovation idea. WIP radio's Jack Fritz has also been widely credited for initiating the standing ovation. Fritz discussed the idea on-air and over twitter around the same time that McCann was promoting the concept. It's unclear exactly who broached the topic first. But McCann and Fritz themselves are not interested in warring over "credit" for the ovation.
McCann gave his thoughts on the matter during his On Pattison interview: "The Trea Turner standing ovation was a fire. And there were many logs to build that fire. My Instagram post, having Barstool Philly share that post . . . the fact that people stood up all weekend? I think people saw my post. Now, Jack Fritz has a platform in this city . . . And when people listen to that radio station, of course that’s what they’re gonna think. But like I said, the way I put it is it’s a big fire, we all put logs."
Fritz took to social media on Thursday with a similar message, encouraging Phillies fans to celebrate the beauty of the ovation without arguing over its origin.
Thoughts on the Turner doc pic.twitter.com/JjEY6Q22V2
Phillies fans should take the messages from McCann and Fritz to heart. Because the biggest role in the ovation, of course, was played by the thousands of people who rose to their feet and showered Trea Turner with love.
