MLB spring training 2020: Chronicling Phillies’ first workout live from Citizens Bank Park
Happy Fourth of July weekend!
Happy Baseball!
We’re back at Citizens Bank Park on this picture-perfect Friday morning for the start (or restart) of Phillies training camp – three weeks of workouts and intrasquad games before the 60-game sprint-to-October commences later this month.
I started the morning in the garden, where I whipped up a fresh five-gallon batch of critter repellent. Red pepper flakes, cayenne, chili powder, dish detergent, milk, a few eggs, a whole head of garlic. Fill with water and let that stuff sit in the sun and get all funkalicious. Sprinkle some around the garden every night. Guaranteed to keep the deer away. Picked a zuke and a summer squash on my way out the door and headed for the ballpark – with a quick stop at Wawa for a 16-ounce cup of rocket fuel.
It’s good to be back and I hope everyone stays healthy so we can see this thing through.
The goal here is to provide some live or semi-live observations throughout this first workout. Keep checking back for updates.
Here we go:
9:45 a.m. – I checked into CBP. Had my temperature taken through a face imaging device. 98.2. I signed a waiver. Good to go.
9:50 a.m. – Arrived in press box. Same great view of Center City. Field is green and gorgeous. Reporters are restricted from wandering so this is where I’ll be observing from. Shoot. I forgot my binocs.
10 a.m. – Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer arrives in press box. He is wearing shorts. Legs are quite unathletic and he has apparently been taking the quarantine seriously because he hasn’t gotten much sun.
10:04 a.m. – The grounds crew has finished prepping the field. Music is playing over the PA system. The ball bags are on the field. The batting is out.
10:05 a.m. – There is some action in the visiting dugout. A coach has popped his head out. For spacing reasons, both clubhouses are being utilized.
10:15 a.m. – A grounds crew member is nailing the rubber spike scraper to the mound.
10:16 a.m. – Black Smoke Rising by Greta Van Fleet is playing on the PA system. Hmm.
10:17 a.m. – Catching coach/bullpen catcher Bob Stumpo is heading out to the ‘pen with a big equipment bag.
10:26 a.m. – Joe Girardi emerges briefly on the field. He’s in shorts and a T-shirt, big cup of Joe in his hand. Yes, he is masked.
10:27 a.m. – The grounds crew is putting down tarps around the batting cage.
10:29 a.m. – Good to see Brookie.
10:30 a.m. – Robert Palmer’s Addicted to Love is playing. Ah, the ’80s.
10:40 a.m. – Nick Pivetta, Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin pop out of the dugout. Looks like they’re heading to the concourse for some conditioning work. The concourse is being used as a work area to ease overcrowding in the weight room.
10:50 a.m. – The view from teammate John Airport…
?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2020Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins walking to the auxiliary locker room
Bryce is still wearing that
JT Realmuto shirsey 🤔 #Phillies pic.twitter.com/eBoGDml9Ad— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS)
Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins walking to the auxiliary locker room
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 3, 2020
Bryce is still wearing that
JT Realmuto shirsey 🤔 #Phillies pic.twitter.com/eBoGDml9Ad
(Check back as the mitts begin a-popping!)
Subscribe and rate the Phillies Talk podcast:
Apple Podcasts / Google Play / Spotify / Stitcher / Art19 / YouTube
More on the Phillies
