After working the “graveyard” shift at the Philadelphia ABF Freight terminal Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, I was excited to learn of an afternoon MLB game at nearby Citizens Bank Park. CBP is the home field for the Philadelphia Phillies and a 1:05 game was scheduled for Wednesday, May 8th vs the Toronto Blue Jays. Bryce Harper, Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Bo Bichette, Aaron Nola – lots of stars would be on display in Philadelphia. So, my co-worker and I decided to take a ride share from our hotel in NJ over to Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia to check it out.

Traffic heading into the game was backed up from bridge to bridge, street to street, so I was glad we took a ride share. The line trying to get into the parking lot behind the stadium was ridiculous. Our ride share driver dropped us off just outside the 3rd baseline gate, across from the Wells Fargo Arena, and we casually walked right up and into Citizens Bank Park. Small travel tip, if you are traveling to and from a game in a big city, use ride shares, public transportation, in other words (if you can avoid it) leave your personal vehicle at home. It is a nightmare trying to drive in, park, and get to a game in a reasonable amount of time, even an afternoon game like the one I attended last week.

My co-worker snagged 2 tickets – Section 326, Row 4, Seats 9 and 10 – through a ticket app in the hotel lobby prior to the ride share arriving. As soon as we entered CBP, we found our seats right away – a section behind the visitors dugout standing behind other fans who were standing at a stainless steel counter. The temperature at game time was roughly 80 something degrees and the sun was burning hot. Probably one of the first really hot days in the PHL area for 2024, and there were a ton of people finding shade in the concession stand area, like where my co-worker and I were standing watching the game.

Chris Bassett pitched for the Blue Jays. Aaron Nola for the hometown Phils. Bryce Harper was in the lineup, he was worth the price of admission alone. As was Vlad and Bichette, Stott, Realmuto – it was a day game after a night game but everyone that should have been in the lineup was in the lineup. I was happy to see that. After an inning or two behind the visitor’s dugout, I sought out a familiar seat in the stadium, with the help of a CBP attendant.

The seat of honor commemorative seat at Citizens Bank Park is located in Section 135/136 on the concession stand level. The seat’s view is of short left field with a great view of the infield and home plate. This commemorative POW/MIA seat is special reserved seat that many professional sports have in their facility. I applaud those, including Citizens Bank Park, who reserve this seat for our military and their families.

As I typically do when I attend any new ball park in my baseball experience life, I like to travel (if possible) all the way around the baseball park to catch different views. Citizens Bank Park is an intimate baseball park with great views everywhere you sit, stand, eat, drink, and cheer for the Fightin’ Phils. You can in fact walk all the way around the stadium’s perimeter via the concession stand level, even through centerfield. I grabbed a pretzel, shaped like the letter “P”, for a snack as well as a stadium hot dog. Sure I could have gotten a Philly Cheesesteak but it was only 2pm and I didn’t want to load up on food that early. The cheesesteak would come later in the day, and it was amazing! (Thanks Ishkabibble’s!!!)

So, back to Bryce Harper for a moment. I texted my son Harrison that I would be checking out the game and potentially seeing Harper play/bat. Harper is a generational talent and one of those players that baseball fans must see in person, so they can tell the story of his accomplishments. I never got to see (in person) Barry Bonds hit, nor did I ever see Ken Griffey, Jr play. I didn’t see Greg Maddux pitch or Ivan Rodriguez catch. If you are a fan, a true baseball fan, regardless of your loyalty to your local team, you need to seek out and find and see generational talents play live. They make great stories and even better memories. Trust me on that one. I have seen some of the greatest Red Sox players live at Fenway Park or in Pawtucket (AAA) and I have the stories and the memories to prove it. Harper went 0 for 3 or 4, but I still got to see him swing that mighty swing that has produced so many big hits and homers over his illustrious career. Well worth the trip to CBP!

At or around the 8th inning, my co-worker and I decided to call a ride share car and head back to our hotel in NJ. On the way out of the stadium area, I stopped to take a photo of the Mike Schmidt statue outside the 3rd base gate. Fitting location for arguably the greatest 3rd baseman of all time, Schmidt is a Philadelphia Phillies legend and a 1995 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. A brilliant career in the field and as a prolific power hitter, winning 10 Gold Gloves, and crushing over 500 home runs. And he played in only one uniform – #20 for the Philadelphia Phillies.

After our ride share picked us up and dropped us into a giant bowl of traffic soup (not his fault), I was able to capture this interesting view of Philadelphia sports stadiums, which are all in very close proximity to each other. The Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, Phillies, and others I maybe missing all play in this one general sports complex area. Pretty cool shot, if I don’t say so myself…

It was a beautiful, hot and sunny day in Philadelphia for Phillies vs Blue Jays at the incredible Citizens Bank Park. An afternoon game scheduled because the Phillies were heading out on the road for a few series later in the week – great I will take it. The ride share dropped my co-worker and I off at the front door and picked us up at the side door, no bothers parking or beating the traffic or getting lost. Tickets were very affordable and I’m sure the view from them was spectacular. However, we deferred to the shady areas of the concession stand level and found excellent spots here and there to catch the game. It was amazing seeing stars like Harper and Nola and Realmuto and Guerrero and Bichette. Bassett pitched very well, Nola was a bit more hittable, and in the end the Jays took the game 5-3 in front of a nearly packed stadium. Pretty awesome showing for an afternoon game, I will say. Despite not being a huge Philly sports fan, it was a incredible Philadelphia baseball experience at Citizens Bank Park.