Last week I had the opportunity to spend both Wednesday and Thursday evening at Citizens Bank Park watching the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Atlanta Braves. These would be the final two games in the teams’ series, so it was exciting to cheer on my city’s team at home in Philly.

On Wednesday I spent the evening at the 7 p.m. game with my boyfriend and another couple. We met up and spent the game waiting for a Phillies run while enjoying the famous Chickie’s & Pete’s crab fries and a new summer cider flavor. Christian, my boyfriend, almost caught a foul ball! It came right to us over first base and slipped through his fingers. We were glad to see the ball went to a young boy who celebrated his souvenir with pride. Unfortunately, the Phillies lost this game, but we still had hope for the next night.

The second evening at the ballpark was spent with family; we sat in the first row behind the Phillies dugout! Straight off the bat (no pun intended), the team blew us away from the start with seven runs. We enjoyed soft pretzels while the Philly Phanatic danced right in front of us during the seventh inning stretch. Everyone around us celebrated as the Phillies held the lead throughout the game and finished the series against the Braves with a win.

Both evenings were beautiful summer nights. We got to watch the sun set over the stadium and spend time outside enjoying our city and rooting for the Phillies. Although I didn’t make it on the Jumbotron, the games were definitely some of my most memorable nights so far this summer.

— Haley Fogarty, advertising manager