Hot Night, Hot Rivals: Phils, Nats, and a Mets Fan in the Mix

Philadelphia Phillies

Specifics:                                                                      

Citizens Bank Park

Washington Nationals @ Philadelphia Phillies

Date of Game: Saturday, June 30, 2018

Time of Game: 6:05PM (game started 6:07 PM)

Final score: Nationals-2, Phillies-3

Section 227, Row 5, Seat 12

As someone who watched the NY Mets regularly during the early 2000’s, I have memories of watching snippets of the “Wolf Pack” on TV while Randy Wolf was on the mound against the Mets. It was both thrilling and exciting to be going to The Bank to watch the Phillies play. If you don’t already know, the Mets and Phillies are fierce rivals in the National League East.

The night before the game, we stayed outside Washington D.C. not far from I-95 so the drive to Philadelphia was expected to be to be 2-1/2 hours. More than enough time to get settled into the hotel and get to the game. We hit traffic so the drive was closer to 4. I was surprised there was so much traffic for a Saturday, but maybe it was because it was so warm. It was over 90 degrees as we were driving into Philadelphia.

Of course, the traffic could also be that everyone was traveling to the Phillies game. From what I understand the rivalry between the Nationals and Phillies is even worse than the Phillies and the Mets. This could be a very tense game!

I booked a one-night stay at Courtyard Philadelphia South at The Navy Yard. I read that it was close to the baseball stadium. What I hadn’t realized (even though it’s in the name) was that it used to be a military base and still looked like one! More specifically, we drove through gates that reminded me of what a security checkpoint would be. It was unmanned.

By the time we checked in at the hotel, it was already close to game time (5:00PM). Although we could have probably walked, with the heat at 94 degrees and the weather sunny, I wouldn’t be happy walking 1.5 miles. By coincidence, there was a taxi driver waiting in the foyer as we were leaving the building. He said he is available at the hotel to shuttle visitors to the baseball game.

After we went through security at the stadium, our first order of business was dinner. So far, this is the only baseball stadium where we deferred our usual order of hot dogs and soda. This time we both got Philly cheesesteaks (such tourists!). Since these were messier to eat than hot dogs, we snagged a table nearby and ate before we headed to our seats to watch the game.

The stadium was mobbed, I couldn’t believe how crowded the concourse area was. Walking from the cheesesteak stand to our seats was quite a feat. As soon as we left the concourse to go to our seats, a blast of heat hit me. It was then that I realized my tolerance for sitting in the heat was nonexistent. I don’t even think I sat down. I took one look at the seats, turned around and walked back from where we came from.

I found my way to the Cooperstown Gallery which is air conditioned and sat on the floor in front of a television that was showing the game. I hadn’t planned on staying for more than an inning or so, but once I sat down, it was clear I wasn’t moving. I stayed the whole game. My partner came searching for me to confirm I wanted ice cream. He walked over to the Old City Creamery and bought Richman’s soft serve ice cream in a helmet for both of us and brought them back to the gallery, where he sat down on the floor with me as we ate it. He went back to the seats after a while and finished out the game taking photos of the stadium.

One of the most exciting plays of the game was in the second inning. The pitcher of the Phillies, Vince Velasquez was hit on the arm by a hit pitch. Since it hit him, the ball’s velocity slowed down, and he was able to snatch it up with his opposite hand to throw an out at first. As soon as he threw the ball, he fell to the ground due to the arm that was hurt. Was that adrenaline? Or just his stick-to-itiveness to see the play through? I hoped he was ok. Being ambidextrous really came in handy for that interaction. He sat out the rest of the game. I read that he was put on the DL for 10 days to heal but luckily was able to return to playing afterwards.

The game ended around 9:30PM and there were fireworks afterwards, but we didn’t stay. We did, however, have a great view of the displays from our hotel room. That was a nice surprise! The view of the stadium at night was great too!

After recounting this story, I’ve decided that a Philadelphia Phillies game is a “do-over”. While I have a unique story, I feel like I totally missed out. Our quick stop in Philadelphia was planned that way. It was just to tick off seeing the Phillies play at home. When we’ve finished some of our trips to the NW U.S, we can return and spend a few days in the city. Adding a baseball game is now on the agenda for the return trip to Philadelphia too.

Some information, such as baseball game information and directions were sought by using ChatGPT or Perplexity. Blog title brainstorming too!

​Written August 10, 2025

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