PHILADELPHIA -- Over the years, visiting players have surely thought of several gestures they might want to direct toward the Philadelphia crowd.
Few would do what Zack Gelof did after launching a third-inning home run in Oakland’s eventual 11-5 loss on Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
The boos rained down on Oakland’s second-year second baseman, who had just launched a 102.2 mph drive to left to tie the game at two. As the Delaware native jogged from second to third base, he motioned toward the suites beyond the third base line and made his hands into the shape of a heart.
It wasn’t a mocking reference to the City of Brotherly Love -- it was just a local kid telling his parents he loved them.
“I didn’t even think about it,” Gelof said. “I was just thankful that they were there and supporting me.”
On a day when the home crowd had plenty to cheer for, Gelof’s big blast was one of the rare exceptions. Gelof, who grew up rooting for the Phillies, knew the boos were coming. In fact, he welcomed them.
“Hitting a home run was pretty cool,” Gelof said. “The place was rocking. Hearing the boos was pretty cool, too. It means you’re doing something right.”
Rehoboth Beach, Del., is two hours south of Citizens Bank Park. It’s a shore town, the kind of oceanside oasis that thousands across the mid-Atlantic escape to on sweltering summer weekends just like this. In a reversal of sorts, hundreds of Gelof’s friends and family made the trip from Delaware to enjoy a humid weekend in South Philly.
“Seeing the support is really cool,” Gelof said. “But at the same time they’re just watching me go to work. It’s as simple as that.”
Gelof, who finished 1-for-4 with a walk, returned to the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the first time since April 19. He has spent the last few weeks hitting fifth or sixth after being dropped as low as ninth in the middle of June.
“This was just about feeling confident that Zack was going to take good at-bats and reward him by being there,” manager Mark Kotsay said.
Miguel Andujar, who had the day off until being inserted as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, will return to the two-hole on Sunday, Kotsay said.
“I’ll hit anywhere,” Gelof said. “I just try to have consistent at-bats. I feel like I’ve been consistent even if I haven’t had success.”
Gelof has raised his batting average nearly 30 points since the end of May. Eight of his 11 home runs have come since June 2.
“He’s just made good adjustments at the plate,” Kotsay said. “He’s doing well with understanding the adjustment that needed to be made and believing in it. The homer today obviously adds to it.”
Gelof’s home run came off Tyler Phillips, snapping an 0-for-11 skid against a South Jersey native making his first MLB start, who also grew up a Phillies fan.
Rehoboth is located between Philadelphia and Baltimore, and fans tend to be split in their allegiances.
“Most people root for Philly teams,” Gelof said. “Some people root for Baltimore. You also get your fair share of Cowboys fans.”
While Gelof will surely welcome some more boos on Sunday, the last point made it clear that some Rehoboth natives would get booed even louder than Gelof in Philadelphia.