PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It's a sign of spring in South Philadelphia. The Phillies were back in town for Opening Day.
The ballpark crew was hard at work, power-washing the stands that were filled. The tarp was out covering the field until warmups, batting practice, and the 3:07 p.m. first pitch.
The new-look Phils did not disappoint, with everything from the Phillie Phanatic parachuting onto the field of Citizens Bank Park, to newcomer Kyle Schwarber slamming a three-run homer into the right-field stands to lead off the bottom of the first, and the Phils beat the Oakland A's, 9-5.
Opening Day usually brings a sense of optimism, and one person who knows that feeling all too well, as one of the team's longtime employees, is John Brazier, the Phillies' director of fun and games.
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"This is my 29th Opening Day and it never gets old. It's a cross between Christmas, New Year's, your birthday, all the best days wrapped up into one," Brazer said.
What really added to it this year is that this was the first Opening Day in three years that Citizens Bank Park was full with 44,232 fans. Last year COVID-19 restrictions were in place; only close to 9,000 fans could attend. The year before that, the ballpark was empty — no fans allowed.
The gates opened at 1:05 p.m., with opening ceremonies starting at 2:20 p.m. and the first pitch just after 3 p.m.
With the offseason acquisition of Schwarber and Nick Castellanos joining Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, fans like Stacie Bonner of Bristol are expecting a lot of home runs.
"It could be really fun here at the park. Especially as it gets warm during the season, and hopefully we'll see a lot of balls fly," said Bonner.
"We have Sunday tickets in left field, so hopefully, we'll have some action out there this year!"
And it's not enough just to go deep. Fans are expecting wins, and with the additional offense, fan Mario DiCicco of Northeast Philadelphia is looking for the Phils to break their eleven-year playoff drought.
"To me, it's playoffs or bust. This is a big year. They have the expanded playoffs now with the third wild card. They should definitely make the playoffs."
A big part of the fun for victory-hungry and food-hungry fans was, of course, tailgating.
However, many enjoyed the new food from ball park vendors this year. There's a new chicken sandwich from Ryan Howard's, a new sponsored restaurant. There's Manco & Manco Pizza, an Ocean City, N.J., favorite.
And of course, everyone is talking about the peanut butter and jelly burger.
As MLB food and beverage partner Aramark describes it: Special-blend Boardwalk Burger topped with peanut butter, jalapeño jelly, American cheese, and bacon on a brioche bun.
All the better to enjoy, or to make a stain-filled mess on your red pinstripe Phillies jersey when moments like this happen during the Phils' first win of hopefully many in 2022.
Jay Sorgi contributed to this report.
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