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PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Barbara and Doug Hunt are such big Phillies fans, they admit to missing a family event (no weddings, though) here and there to go to games.
And what a year it has been for the Hunts – retired teachers of 39 years who live in South Jersey and have had a partial Phillies season ticket plan since the late 70s, in addition to making spring training trips to Clearwater for about 10 years.
Not only is their favorite baseball team in the World Series, but they’re just over three months removed from celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. The 73-year-olds have seen a lot of Phillies baseball, including two world championship seasons and, starting this weekend, seven World Series appearances.
But what the 2022 Phillies have done is certainly memorable for these longtime fans who met in college at TCNJ, formally Trenton State, and were married the year after they graduated.
“This [Phillies season] might be my favorite year this year,” said Doug.
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“The fact that they were kind of going nowhere, it seemed like, and they really got together as a team and they play good baseball. You make a mistake, who cares. They pick it right back up and go, so it’s really fun to watch. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
“It wasn’t predictable,” said Barbara. “And the fact that nobody really gave them a major chance was the thing that just kept you interested in what was happening.”
“A little bit like the year the Eagles won the Super Bowl,” Doug added. “They’re the underdog every inch of the way and they find a way to win.”
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It’s also been more than the outcomes that make this postseason story memorable. Barbara said the excitement and attitude of the players is something unique to Phillies seasons of past.
“We’ve never seen a clubhouse quite that close,” she said.
And as far as what separates the atmosphere at the stadium compared to prior “Red Octobers,” Barbara noticed the younger fans, little kids that were enjoying the playoff games as well.
Think about it: For anyone around 10 years old or less, this is their first taste of Phillies playoff baseball.
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It’s special.
The Hunts, parents of two and grandparents of five, have tickets to Games 3 of 5 of the World Series against the Astros.
Any predictions?
Doug is going with low-scoring games, with the Phillies winning in six.
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