Jayson Werth Taps Into Heel Persona, Draws Ire Of Phillies Fans With Fake Ball Toss

If you weren't convinced that Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth actually was former WWE Superstar Edge, then maybe you are after Wednesday.

In the ninth inning of a tight game against the Philadephia Phillies -- Werth's former club -- Wednesday, Werth played the ultimate heel when he stepped up to the plate with the Nats clinging to a 5-4 lead (a lead that was once 5-0) with two outs and two men on.

Now, Philadelphia fans have a reputation for being some of the worst (if not the worst) fans in sports, so it's no surprise that Werth was the target of their vitriol. Werth, however, poked the proverbial bear just moments before when he faked tossing a ball to fans sitting in the stands, instead throwing it back into the Nationals' dugout.

This drew the ire of the Philly Faithful (he also stole the keys to the Phanatic's four-wheeler -- cheap heat at its finest), who booed him more lustfully than usual as he walked to the plate.

Phillies pitcher Justin De Fratus received cheers for brushing Werth back with some sweet chin music ("sweet" being the adjective; I'm just trying to pack as many wrestling references into this post as possible). But in the end, Werth got the last laugh as he silenced the testy crowd with a clutch two-run single that cushioned Washington's late lead.

After the game, Werth detailed his experience, explaining that he did it for the kids (he did it for the people):

"Earlier in the game, I flipped a ball in the right field seats to a fan. It bounced off her hands and landed on somebody’s lap. A guy reached over, a Phillies fan, reached over into her lap, grabbed the ball and then threw it back on the field.
“So in the ninth when I got the ball, I was going to flip the ball. There was a group of kids. Behind the kids there were these unruly middle-aged men that to me appeared to be snarling. It’s the ninth. Who knows. I kind of got the sense that maybe they were intoxicated. I was going to flip it to the kids, and then I thought, maybe I shouldn’t, because of the people right behind the innocent little children there.
“So I just flipped it in the dugout. Evidently, that rubbed some people the wrong. After the events in right field, I felt it was better to maybe not throw it in the stands.”