Before the game, Brad Harman received a World Series ring. The Australian infielder had a brief call-up with the Phillies last spring when Jimmy Rollins was on the DL.
The Harrisburg Senators looked loose and happy as they lined up for the opening ceremony.
Swing, batta, batta, swing! The hitters did their part last night but the bullpen fizzled.
After nightfall, a big orange moon came up behind the bare trees outside the stadium, then rose high in the sky.A record crowd of almost 8,000 fans turned out for the opening game of the Reading Phillies last evening. Tyson Brummett, the starting pitcher, was pretty much solid for six, pitching out of trouble a couple of times. The R-Phils had a 2-0 lead, but the Harrisburg Senators came back to tie it. The Phillies again went ahead 5-2 but the bullpen huffed and puffed and blew it all away. The Senators ended up winning 6-5 in 10.
Between them, the Reading and brand-new Lehigh Valley minor league parks drew one million fans last year. Baseball America last week rated the Reading park, built in the 1950's, as #3 among all minor league parks in the nation. This was quite an honor. All of the other parks in the top 10 were built in 2000 or later. The Phillies were doubly honored in the poll; number 10 was their single A park in Clearwater, Florida, which opened in 2004.
