Inside Alec Bohm's rehabbed rep in Philly

Alec Bohm had a commemorative snapback cap on his head and a permanent smile on his face. It was Saturday night, and the Philadelphia Phillies had just stunned the division-champion St. Louis Cardinals with back-to-back road victories to advance to the National League Division Series. Most of the crowd had quickly filed out of Busch Stadium, but the away fans who remained migrated down the aisles to cheer for the Phillies players who remained on the field. Several of them wore burgundy T-shirts with the phrase «I f---ing hate this place» emblazoned on the front, an ironic reference to the way Philadelphia had rallied around its young third baseman.

Bohm, being interviewed by MLB Network, was asked to provide a message to his ardent supporters. He smiled again. «I love this place,» Bohm said, briefly stepping away from the microphone to admire his own quip. The line sounded somewhat rehearsed and borderline cheesy, but it was undoubtedly fitting.

Bohm, 26, was less than six months removed from a three-error game that ignited boos, followed by sarcastic cheers, from the home crowd at Citizens Bank Park, prompting him to mutter the worst possible sentence — «I f---ing hate this place» — in America's most unforgiving city. Cameras captured the moment and social media instantly made it viral. It could have ended him. But when Bohm comes to bat in Game 3 of the NLDS on Friday, he will undoubtedly receive raucous cheers from Phillies fans who waited 11 years for their team to return to the postseason. They'll mark an incredible reversal.

«He's a guy that has improved more within a year than I've ever had in my career,» Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. «He really has — not only offensively but defensively, maturity-wise.»

Bohm