Ryan Braun, who is also dealing with a sore right thumb, heard endless boos from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Braun hit three home runs, drove in seven runs and made a dazzling catch in right field as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.

"I love it," Braun said. "It's great. Seriously, as a competitor, I really do enjoy it. This is a challenging game for all of us, and it's a long season and playing in an environment like this is motivating.

"I wouldn't say I want it to be like this, if it's my choice. But I don't have much of a say in how the fans are going to react. I might as well make the best of it and use it to my advantage as motivation."

Braun expected to be a target for verbal abuse on the road after serving a 65-game suspension to end last season in conjunction with his involvement in the Biogenesis performance-enhancing drug scandal.