Inspired by the Super Bowl win, Phillies fans at the home opener are excited for the long road to Red October
”I think they make it to the World Series,” said Dave Kelly, who hasn't missed a home opener in at least two decades.
The weather cleared and the sun came out just in time for the Phillies’ 2025 home opener against the Colorado Rockies. Local sports fans, fresh from a Super Bowl parade down Broad Street, were back to tailgating.
Downingtown’s Dave Kelly, 59, has been a season-ticket holder since the 1988 season, back when the Phillies still played at Veterans Stadium. Around a portable table at FDR Park three hours before the game, he enjoyed a drink and snacks with four longtime friends and neighbors — all decked in red for the occasion, except for the straggling Yankees-cheering buddy who came along.
Kelly can’t remember the last time he missed a home opener. It’s been at least 20 years of perfect attendance, he said. For a long time, the home opener represented to Kelly a “fresh start” after yet another disappointing season. But now, with a good team and expectations for a run into Red October, “it’s even more exciting.”
”I think they make it to the World Series,” he said.
» READ MORE: Fathers at Citizens Bank Park share a magical Red October moment with their children — just like Nick Castellanos
The last time the Phillies had played in Citizens Bank Park, Nick Castellanos walked off against the New York Mets for the Phils’ only playoff win of the year. Castellanos was instantly pummeled by teammates in a celebration that carried him toward second base. But then the outfielder got loose from his teammates, and ran toward the crowd to find his son, Liam — an instant classic added to the catalog of Phillies memories.
What unforgettable moments will unfold this year at the ballpark?
In the parking lot, Catherine Smith, 56, from West Chester, was ready for a Phillies season that lasts deep into the fall. She came to the home opener with her two sisters and niece, and said that there is an energy throughout the Philly region since the Eagles’ Super Bowl win.
”They need to carry it on,” she said of the Phillies. “They want a parade, we want a parade.”
Just in case anyone forgot that the Eagles won the Super Bowl, Xfinity Live! blasted “We are the Champions” (Queen’s version, not Jordan Mailata’s) that fans followed with an E-A-G-L-E-S chant.
Sitting with friends at the Green Legion tailgate at Xfinity Live!, Rich Morgan from Delco isn’t expecting a parade from the Phillies this fall, but he isn’t closing the door to a championship.
”We always have a chance as long as Harper is here,” he said.
Back in the parking lot, Jess Mascuilli, 36, was tailgating with a group of friends, her two daughters playing with other children on a small patch of grass.
”They are super excited,” Mascuilli, of South Jersey, said. “They got to play hooky today.”
She has been taking her daughters to games since they were “brand-new,” she said, and Bryce Harper is the clear favorite among the young generation.
“Harper only, Harper everything,” Mascuilli said of her kid’s preferences.
But beyond the family fun, Mascuilli has expectations for this season. In 2022, the Phillies were eliminated in the World Series. In 2023, in the NLCS. Last year, in the NLDS.
”Last year was the ultimate Philly letdown,” she said. “We want our trophy.”
Shortly before 3 p.m., fans in line to enter Citizen Bank Park, hoping to get to their seats in time for the first pitch, quieted down and removed their caps as the national anthem began playing inside the ballpark.
Phillies baseball is officially back in South Philly.