2025 Home Opener & Flyers Game
Monday, March 31, 2025
Start Time: 3:05 p.m. Local
Attendance: 44,595
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Game Duration: 2:39
Day Game, on grass
I purchased tickets to the Flyers game last year, and it was a perfect coincidence that those tickets were for the Phillies 2025 Home Opener. I wasn’t able to get down to the game itself, but being at the sports complexes and seeing the tailgates, it was magical. Threaded the needle perfectly for traffic as well.
As far as the game goes, the end result is fantastic, and of course the highlights are amazing. Christopher Sanchez dazzled in his season debut, a home opener Schwarbomb, Max Kepler & Casty going back to back homeruns was incredible. A great show for the home crowd of 44K plus on a unexpectedly beautiful day, as the forecast had potential tornadoes, thunderstorms, and high winds for game time.
That being said, the Phillies bats did not wake up until the Rockies’ bullpen was in. At one point the Rockies had a 78% chance of winning the game. The dread was real. Against THE ROCKIES. It seems that German Marquez has the Phillies number. This calls back to the 2018 14-0 game in Colorado, where he struck out the first 8 batters he faced, only broken up by Nick Pivetta. Turns out maybe German Marquez is a decent pitcher. Rrather than give the Rockies credit, the shadows of the past 2 disappointing seasons haunt this team. Was a good comeback win, and fun fact, they have yet this season to take the lead first. High hopes indeed on this home opener, and we could see the song being played from the Flyers parking lot on the Jumbotron.
On the Flyers end of things, they faced the Nashville Predators, and they won 2-1 with a post-Tortarella team playing better then ever, and Matvei Michkov dazzling on the ice with some great chances, and a few assists. Fedotov in net was terrifying as he would leave the net and make awful decisions everytime. The rain that was predicted for the Phillies game ended up happening during the 3rd period, where we could hear the thunder during the hockey game in the bulding. I got drenched on the way to the car, but it was all worth it listening to Jody Mac in traffic and on the way home.
1994 Fleer Ultra Darren Daulton Set
These are outstanding cards. 1994, the Phillies are just coming off the most unexpected World Series run in 1993, and the defining team that cemented my lifelong adoration with the sport of baseball. This subset of 1994 Fleer Ultra captures the heart of the 1993 team, which is Dutch.
These were an Ebay Find, and I took a chance on a bid and to my surprise I won.
The backs of these cards paint a picture of who Darren Daulton is. I was astonished about the number of surgeries in card #5, and the story told here is a time capsule back to Veterans Stadium. My youth was spent in the 700 level in the few games we could get to, courtesy of the Hatfield hot dog tickets, where tickets vouchers were inside a 5lb package of hot dogs. We’d save those and the entire extended family would go into the yellow seats at the highest levels of the stadium. Those were glorious times, most of the time the team lost, or we got to the game and the Phillies were already out of contention.