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Philadelphia Phillies equipment truck heading south to Clearwater for Spring Training
The countdown to the 2026 baseball season has officially begun!
The Phillies are packing up their gear and leaving snowy South Philadelphia on Tuesday to head to spring training in Clearwater, Florida.
Truck Day is an annual tradition at Citizens Bank Park, with Phillies front office staff and Citizens Ballpark Bankers helping pack the items onto three 28-foot trailers.
It's Truck Day! The Phillies are packing up their gear and leaving snowy South Philadelphia, to head to spring training in Clearwater, Florida.
They will spend several hours loading in all the equipment the team will need, including 2,400 baseballs, 1,200 bats, 140 helmets, 300 batting gloves, and thousands of clothing items like shirts, jackets, socks, and belts.
"When the truck is loaded, hopefully the warm weather is coming, and probably eight weeks from now, baseball will be upon us," said Frankie Bowens, manager of ballpark operations.
Bowens has been taking part in Truck Day for 25 years now. Newcomers are just as excited.
"This is my first Truck Day, so I'm really excited about it, and I get to do it with my son right here," said Citizen Ballpark Banker, Carol Mason.
"It's great to be behind the scenes and see all the magic," said Carol's son, Andrew Mason.
And the team also won't leave home without its biggest hype man, the Phillie Phanatic, and his hot dog launcher!
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"Everyone gets so excited when they see it," said Tim Schmidt, Phillies clubhouse attendant. "Once you see the Phillie Phanatic hot dog launcher get put onto the truck, you know it's go time."
This will be a special trip for Schmidt. He's bringing his wife and newborn to Clearwater this go around.
"I'm pretty excited this year," he said.
The truck will travel over 1,000 miles through eight states before arriving in Florida on Sunday to begin unloading.
This year marks the team's 80th spring training in Clearwater.
Spring training starts on February 11, with games beginning on February 21.
The Phillies' home opener at Citizens Bank Park is on March 26 against the Texas Rangers.
