Cameras ‘pick up everything’: Alec Bohm’s viral moment evokes memories of Mike Schmidt in ‘disguise’

Before the errors and the frustration, before the derision and the loathing, the Phillies planned for Alec Bohm to begin Tuesday night on the bench against a right-handed starting pitcher. But at least it seemed like he would be able to step on the field at Citizens Bank Park without needing a disguise.

Just in case, Mike Schmidt might have an old wig for Bohm to borrow.

“Larry Andersen may still have it,” Schmidt said by text Tuesday.

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In case you missed it, Bohm was at the epicenter of the Phillies’ rousing come-from-behind 5-4 victory Monday night over the New York Mets. And it wasn’t because he made three errors in the first three innings, or ripped a 108.8 mph double, or worked a six-pitch walk to lead off a five-run eighth inning.

It was because, after Bohm got a Bronx cheer for making a routine play in the second inning, television cameras caught the young third baseman telling shortstop Didi Gregorius, “I [bleeping] hate this place,” as they walked back to their positions. The video clip went viral, with amateur lip readers taking to social media to decipher whether Bohm really said what it appeared he said.

Oh, Bohm said it all right. At least he defused a potential controversy by tackling the issue head-on after the game. He apologized to the fans, claimed he didn’t mean it, and explained that it happened in the heat of an emotional moment.

It all seemed plausible enough. Who among us hasn’t sidled up to a coworker in the break room and unloaded about a bad day at the office? Most of us just don’t do our jobs on live television.

“There are so many more cameras on the field now that pick up everything — the dugout, emotional scenes in the dugout, things you might do out on the field,” said Schmidt, who confessed to not having heard exactly what happened. “When the fans see that emotion watching TV or at the stadium or on Phanavision or whatever, those are all things we didn’t have when I played.”

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But for fans of a certain age, the Bohm Affair was a callback to 37 years ago, when Schmidt’s words nearly broke the fans’ sensitivity meter.

Speaking to a Canadian reporter in Montreal in the midst of a trying season in which he was getting grief from Phillies fans, Schmidt blasted them for being “uncontrollable” and “beyond help.” He called the atmosphere at Veterans Stadium “a mob scene” and said he would be appreciated more if he played in Los Angeles, Chicago, or pretty much anywhere else.

When the Phillies came home, the fans were frothing over Michael Jack’s comments. So, he borrowed sunglasses from Steve Jeltz and a shoulder-length wig from Andersen and donned the disguise as he took the field for warmups, turning vitriol into levity.

“We were like a family, where we had our ins and our outs and our arguments and our great times,” Schmidt said last week. “You had those that liked me, didn’t like me; those that booed me, those that cheered me. Talk-radio stations were positive and negative. I’m sure they talked about me in barbershops and taverns, whether I had a real crappy game the night before or a great game. Heck, one winter I got booed by a school bus.”

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But there’s a big difference between Schmidt’s foot-in-mouth episode in 1985 and his third-base scion’s verbal flub Monday night, and it’s really all the difference. Schmidt was on his way to the Hall of Fame; Bohm is struggling to earn the Phillies’ trust.

Drafted third overall in 2018 out of Wichita State, regarded as a top collegiate hitter and a blue-chip prospect, hailed for his impressive 44-game rookie year in the 60-game pandemic season of 2020, Bohm struggled last year at the plate and in the field. There were times when the Phillies didn’t like the 25-year-old’s body language. Or when they saw him take a bad at-bat into the field or a frustrating error to the plate.

There are real questions about Bohm’s ability to handle adversity. Manager Joe Girardi believed Bohm allowed the disappointment from his first error Monday night — an off-balance throw that he never should have made on a ball that deflected off pitcher Ranger Suárez — to linger, causing him to rush two other errant throws.

But this can be a teachable moment for Bohm — and not only to place his glove over his mouth the next time he feels like blowing off steam while in public view. The Phillies closed ranks around Bohm. Play better and the fans will give you a break, even here.

“I imagine they will,” Schmidt said.

Bohm refocused in the fourth inning and started a double play by gloving a hard-hit chopper. He saw a total of 15 pitches in three plate appearances, reaching base each time. Bohm still hasn’t made an out this season. He’s 3-for-3 with three walks in two games.

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“His at-bats were real good after,” Girardi said. “I’m not so sure he would have done that last year. I think he’s growing up a little bit. We have to do some more. But I think he’s growing up.”

At a minimum, episodes like Monday night’s will turn a player’s hair gray. Maybe they can spur emotional maturity, too.