Phillies crowd ruthlessly booed Willson Contreras during the Home Run Derby showdown with Kyle Schwarber(Image via Getty)Philadelphia fans did everything they could to help Kyle Schwarber during the Home Run Derby. That meant Willson Contreras heard loud boos from the moment he walked onto the field until his semifinal ended. Instead of letting the atmosphere bother him, the Red Sox slugger leaned into it, encouraged the crowd and nearly spoiled the hometown party before falling by a single home run.Willson Contreras turned the boos into motivation before narrowly losing to Kyle SchwarberCitizens Bank Park belonged to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper all night, and Phillies fans made sure everyone else knew it. Contreras quickly became one of the biggest targets. During introductions and later in the semifinal, he repeatedly cupped his hand to his ear, asking the crowd to get even louder.After the Derby, Willson Contreras said he expected nothing less from Philadelphia. "That's what they do here. It's nothing new. They've been booing me for 10 years, so I had fun with it," Contreras told reporters after the Home Run Derby. The veteran admitted he actually enjoys playing in hostile environments."I like when I get booed. It inspires me a little bit," he added.The crowd never slowed down, but neither did Contreras. Batting first in the opening round, he launched 13 home runs on 20 swings, tying Jordan Walker for the highest total. His biggest blast travelled 490 feet with a 115 mph exit velocity, the longest home run of the first round.That performance earned him a semifinal matchup against Schwarber, who had the full support of the Philadelphia crowd. Schwarber hit nine home runs before Contreras stepped in, needing to match him. The Red Sox first baseman reached eight and had one final swing to force bonus swings, but he lifted the ball to shallow center field, ending his Derby run.Even one unexpected moment brought a smile. Bench coach José Flores accidentally hit Contreras with a pitch while throwing one of MLB's special magenta baseballs used during the final swing rule. Instead of showing frustration, Contreras laughed along with the crowd. "It was funny. The reaction of the crowd was that they laughed. It was all about the show," Contreras said after the event.Although Schwarber advanced, he could not finish the job, as Jordan Walker rallied to win the title. Contreras, however, left Philadelphia with plenty to remember. He embraced the villain role from start to finish, hit the longest homer of the opening round and showed that even a stadium full of boos could not take the fun out of his first Home Run Derby.Contreras did not leave Citizens Bank Park with the trophy, but he made his mark. He handled one of baseball's toughest crowds without showing frustration, delivered the longest home run of the opening round and pushed the hometown favorite to the edge. The scoreboard favored Schwarber, but Willson Contreras showed he could thrive even with an entire stadium hoping he would lose.