Citizens Bank Park opened its doors Tuesday afternoon for its 11th season. With yesterday's disappointing 10-4 defeat to Ryan Braun (three home runs, seven RBIs) and the Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies are now 3-8 all-time in Citizens Bank Park home-openers.
It's honestly hard to believe that Citizens Bank Park has been around for over a decade now. It feels like yesterday we heard the voice of Harry Kalas calling Jim Thome home runs, pointing out the Wolf Park in upper-decks, and even announcing Bob-by Ab-reu was coming up to the plate in his iconic broadcast articulation.
Oh, and remember those bare walls out in center field? With plants being added later on and the iconic ivy that has grown over the years has all but covered any brick exposure.
This week and many more weeks to come on Phillies Five, we will look back over the years of Citizens Bank Park and the memories and special events that were held in the stadium.
Let's explore the first moments of Citizens Bank Park: the 2004 On-Deck Series. More specifically the moments leading up to and on April 3, 2004: the first home game ever for the Phillies in a venue not named Veterans Stadium since September of 1970.
5. The Park Opened, Whether They Were Ready Or Not
I was there myself for the exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians which ended in a 6-5 defeat for the Phils. It's hard to remember the game as a whole, other than knowing the Indians were a pretty bad team at the time (coming off of a 68-94 season in 2003).
I do remember, however, little intricacies of the park not actually being finished. The red pinstripe signs that marked the sections were not installed yet, and instead laminated, printed computer paper was hanging on the rails. Also, notice in the above picture only one red Phillies flag from 1980 was hanging. The other white and blue flags also did not come until later on.
The only other thing I remember back then was hearing that the Phanatic was not allowed to ride his ATV on the natural grass just yet. Quoted from a February 2004 article from once Phillies' MLB.com beatwriter, Ken Mandel:
With that, the Phanatic has two other key things to worry about for 2004. The wheels on his ATV are being modified for the switch to grass, and he is secretly working on an improved hotdog launcher for Citizens Bank Park. Details on both were sketchy.
Oh, the catastrophe.
Despite the kinks that were in the way from the park being 100% complete in time for the home opener nine days later against the Cincinatti Reds on April 12, there was a game to be played.
4. Bullpen Layout
Nobody likes getting heckled, especially when you can't escape from it out in the bullpen for two to three-plus hours each day.
When Citizens Bank Park first opened, the Phillies' bullpen was stationed on the upper-tier of the two-level structure, whereas the visitors were on the lower tier. Supposedly on the upper-tier, players cannot see the scoreboard unless they go to the edge of the railing and "practically hang over" as described by Mandel.
Boy, was the Phillies' pen unhappy.
"We can't see the game," said Roberto Hernandez. "You can't see the scoreboard. You can't see the count. We had to keep coming outside and look behind the wall. Plus, you have to walk down stairs. Let the visiting team do that."
To climb to the edge of the rail means exposure to fan heckling. Phillies' acquired closer, Billy Wagner was in agreeance of this nusiance.
"I'd rather have the fans heckle the visitors," said Billy Wagner. "They're on the other team. We heard typical fan stuff. They heckled us more than the other guys. We're on their team. We'll get this in Pittsburgh, Florida, Chicago. We'd rather not get it at home. I just think it's funny. We hadn't even thrown a pitch yet, and they're up there screaming at us."
Phillies general manager Ed Wade commented on the situation, saying the Phillies thought the sight lines were better from the upper tier than the lower tier.
Typical Phillies, right?. Doing things blindly without looking at the big picture.
3. A Hitters' Park
It was no secret. Everybody knew from the get-go that Citizens Bank Park was atypical in that it's short dimensions made it favorable for batters over pitchers.
Phillies' Team President David Montgomery decided it was time to take action after the conclusion of the 2005 regular season, the second season for Citizens Bank Park.
"We feel there are some things we can do on the left-field side that will help. We haven't made specific decisions, but hope to before we open next season."
The "hitter-friendly" stereotype still exists today, despite moving the left & left-center field walls back for the start of the 2006 season. Larry Shenk, VP of Alumni Relations, shared on his blog the changes to the field dimensions that were made:
The wall moved back five feet and the height was increased from eight feet to 10.5 feet. The 329-foot foot marker at the left field foul pole remains at that number with the wall angling back five feet from there. The 369-foot mark that was on the left field wall for two seasons is now 374 feet.
The Phillies estimated at the time this change would subtract approxmiately 15-18 home runs a season from the dimensions that once existed on Opening Day 2004.
2. Location and Design of the Park
When fans heard that the Phillies were finally moving on from the rat-infested, concrete deteriorating Veterans Stadium, many wanted the team to move back in-city, just like how the previous stadium, Connie Mack Stadium, was situated.
As we all know, the stadium was eventually agreed upon to be built right across the parking lot, but designers took the city idea and went with it, building the park at an angle where the outfield opening reveals the Philadelphia city skyline.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig was pleased on the design of Citizens Bank Park.
"It's not like the late '70s. If by chance you woke up in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Cincinnati or St. Louis and tried to gauge it by the ballpark, you'd have a hard time knowing where you were. They all looked the same. None of them had anything that was unique. These (newly built) ballparks really are remarkable."
After Bill Giles took in his first game at Baltimore's Camden Yards, he was "blown away by the red brick facade and the view of downtown Baltimore beyond the center-field scoreboard". Hence, one of the many inspirations for Citizens Bank Park' s design.
1. The Acquisition and Legacy of Jim Thome
As Chase Utley is arguably the iconic, franchise player of this decade, Jim Thome was the same for the transition period from the Vet to CBP last decade. The following quote from a SI.com article reporting Thome's signing showed just how important he was at the time for the club:
Thome becomes the highest-paid player in Phillies history, and the most prolific free agent to sign with the team since Pete Rose joined them 24 years ago.
Nine minutes after the first pitch ever at CBP from Vicente Padilla, Thome fittingly enough hit the first home run ever at Citizens Bank Park off of Jeff D'Amico. The Phillies were playing against the Cleveland Indians, Thome's former club that he just came over from.
Bobby Abreu recorded the first official home run, however, at Citizens Bank Park on the home opener.
As a free agent, Thome was with officials and the construction crew as they were constructing Citizens Bank Park. The well-reception he received proved to him Philadelphia was a special place to be, and that ultimately led him to signing as a Phillie.
Even though Thome was traded away for Gio Gonzalez and Aaron Rowand in 2005, his presence and leadership helped the franchise in transitioning from mediocracy in the latter years at the Vet to eventually rach the pinaccle point in all of baseball in 2008.
Citizens Bank Park truly is the "house that Thome built".
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Matt Rappa is a contributor to Philliedelphia.
