The Diamondbacks’ Christian Walker, a Norristown native, reflects on how his upbringing shaped him as a player

Walker grew up as a follower of the Phillies and all the city's teams. “The passion the fans have is contagious,” he says. "It makes you want to rise to the occasion."

Arizona's Christian Walker hits an RBI double against the Phillies during the sixth inning Tuesday night.Read moreRoss D. Franklin / AP

by Alex Coffey

Published Jun. 14, 2023, 3:21 p.m. ET

PHOENIX — Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker had a four-hit night on Tuesday, which felt fitting, given the team he was facing. Walker was born and raised in Norristown and his mother, Julie, still lives in Limerick. He went to Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School, and remembers skipping class to watch Chase Utley drop some choice words at the World Series celebration in 2008.

This wasn’t Walker’s first four-hit night against the Phillies. On Aug. 26, 2021 at Citizens Bank Park, he went 4-for-4 with a walk en route to an 8-7 Arizona win. He credited Julie’s homemade meatballs, which she delivered to the team before the game.

Walker first played in Citizens Bank Park in 2018. It was surreal, and not just because he grew up a Phillies fan. Walker has not had the easiest path to the big leagues. Selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft by Baltimore, he didn’t play a full MLB season until 2019, when he was 28. He spent seven seasons in the minor leagues. Returning to Philadelphia, and the ballpark he grew up going to, caused him to reflect on that.

He arrived to the park early for that game in 2018 and walked around. He thought about the players he’d watched there and at Veterans Stadium — Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Matt Stairs, Carlos Ruiz, and Scott Rolen. Rolen was his favorite. Walker felt he could relate to the third baseman who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next month.

“I just really liked watching him play,” he said. “Nothing too flashy about him. Humble, hard worker. Really good defender, really good hitter. Complete package. I was at an age where I was just learning both sides of the ball. I always loved hitting, but to see someone play defense as well as he did was cool, too.”

Growing up in Norristown, it didn’t take long for Walker to pick up on Philadelphia’s intense relationship with its sports teams. He saw how the city rallied around the Phillies and decided that was something he wanted to be a part of.

Walker, 32, is still a fan. He watched most of the Phillies’ 2022 playoff run. He follows the Eagles, 76ers, and Flyers, which lately, after multiple disappointing playoff runs, has felt like more of a chore than anything else.

“It’s been a tough few months,” he said.

He’s not the only Philadelphia-area guy with links to the Diamondbacks. Starting pitcher Zac Gallen grew up in Somerdale, Camden County. Ryan Buchter, who pitched for the Diamondbacks in 2021 but now works for the Phillies as an assistant pitching coach in triple A, was born in Reading.

Walker said the “jawns” and the “wooders” come out when he talks to those guys.

“I guess when I say certain things with the letter ‘A’ in it — ‘class, glass’ — anything like that, I sound super weird,” Walker said. “I don’t hear it myself. But my friends call me on it for sure.”

It’s a funny bit. But all of that aside, Walker is grateful for his upbringing in the Philadelphia area. He said it has helped shape who he is today.

“The passion the fans have is contagious,” he said. “It makes you want to rise to the occasion. It can be full of pressure sometimes, but it was the fan in me early that realized how cool it was to play on that stage. And to have people care about what you’re doing.”