PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Going to opening day is an annual tradition for many fans, but this year, the start of the season is special.
After seven years without a winning season, Phillies fans like Adam Chesia of Southwest Philly are ready to cheer on new acquisitions — Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Andrew McCutchen — and the rest of the squad.
#HARPER chants filling Citizens Bank Park right after @bryceharper3 took the field for the first time! #Phillies #BeBold @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/LDFnavw4uA
— Andrew Kramer (@Philly_Kramer) March 28, 2019"Me and my friend have come to 18 out of the last 19 home openers," he said, "so opening day is pretty special for us. ... The hype around this opening day is greater than it has been since probably 2011 or 2012, and you can feel it in the city again.
"You can feel that baseball's relevant again, and that's just awesome."
Tailgater Amin Khalifa has all the signs of a Bryce Harper fan! #openingday #phillies pic.twitter.com/588qQ7ElJO
— Mike DeNardo (@_MikeDeNardo) March 28, 2019Fans are hoping that this year, that awesome feeling finally extends into October. Fan Ryan Edwards of Valley Forge expect the Phils will return to winning.
"Hopeful, for the first time in quite a while," he admitted. "Generally, I think that people are hopeful that we're going to have a really solid season."
Tara Burnell and Andrew Medlin from Lansdale told KYW Newsradio they ar are pumped for the new season.
"We are definitely going all the way," Burnell said.
"We have Harper on the team now, he is a great asset," Medlin said.
And if the Phillies start winning, there will be plenty of communal happiness around town.
"We started going to opening days right after we won the World Series," recalled fan Dominique Martella, also from Valley Forge. "You could tell there was a heightened sense of excitement, and then it trailed off very quickly. So it's nice to see it again. It's nice to see the camaraderie and the communal happiness."
KYW Newsradio's John McDevitt contributed to this report.
