With Opening Day rapidly approaching, all I can think about is baseball. The Bullpen Cart has me pretty busy as we still have a couple divisions to preview (one is dropping later tonight, stay tuned). During these last couple days of Spring Training, we usually get the news of who will be on the Opening Day starting lineup, who has made the team, what prospect didn’t make the team but expect to see him in the majors on “this date,” etc. Rather than break down some of these announcements the Phils have made (since they’ll likely send a lot of players to and from Allentown), I want to help you plan your trips down to CBP. Let’s take a look at the 2017 Phillies Home Schedule and the promotions you want to take part of…
Power Rankings by Month:
- July
- June
- August
- September/October
- May
- April
April
April 7-9 vs. Washington – The opening series at CBP is never one to miss. Opening Day (7th) is a fun experience to be a part of, the Opening Night (9th) shirt is a GREAT giveaway, and the Nationals will be fun to watch. Bryce Harper demolishes the ball at CBP so you’ll probably see him hit a bomb. You’ll likely get Stephen Strasburg on Sunday as well, that’s a plus.
April 10-12 vs. New York – The only mid-week series against the Mets features both a Dollar Dog Night (10th) and a Cell Phone Wallet giveaway (12th). Dollar Dog Nights are a can’t miss, cell phone wallet may be a throwaway item.
April 21-23 vs. Atlanta – Your first opportunity to see rookie phenom Dansby Swanson (former #1 pick)–use that tidbit to impress your friends. Mascot fans and kids will enjoy the Phanatic’s Birthday Party (23rd).
April 25-27 vs. Miami – A texting glove giveaway (25): eh. Dollar Dog Night (26): gotta go. Giancarlo: MUST WATCH.
All divisional opponents at home in April. I’m not a weatherman but if cool weather baseball isn’t your thing, you’ll get other opportunities to see these teams in the summer. Promos are alright but you’ll get much more bang for your buck later in the summer.
May
May 5-7 vs. Washington – Another weekend with the Nats. Sunday is Mother’s Day which is a fun day game to go to if your mom likes baseball.
May 9-10 vs. Seattle – The first home interleague series! A dollar dog night on the 9th and a businessperson’s special on the 10th. If you can make it out to one of these, go asap. The Mariners likely won’t be back in Philly for at least three years.
May 22-25 vs. Colorado – A chance to see a fun Rockies offense (Nolen Arenado!). Giveaways include a Phillies “Tech Kit” (phone charger, USB cables, etc.) on the 22nd and Hat Night on the 24th.
May 26-28 vs. Cincinnati – It’s May, so Joey Votto should still be in Cincy. 26th is Social Media Night and there’s a Kids Run the Bases after the Saturday afternoon game on the 27th. It’s also MDW so the city of Philadelphia will likely be empty.
An interesting gambit of teams to see in May; the series are more about the opponents than the giveaways.
June
June 2-4 vs. San Francisco – Can’t miss series against a GREAT Giants squad. Friday night (2nd) is African American Heritage Night, The Avett Brothers play a postgame concert Saturday night (3rd), and kids get Maikel Franco batting gloves on Sunday (4th).
June 14-15 vs. Boston – Part of the home-and-home “natural rivals” series and the Red Sox are always a hot ticket in Philly. Wednesday (14th) is an MLB Network tote bag giveaway while Thursday (15th) is #TBT Emoji Night.
June 16-18 vs. Arizona – This could be a very competitive series and it is a good chance to see Greinke. Another Social Media Night on Friday (16th) free WB Mason toy truck giveaway on Saturday (17th) and Sunday is Father’s Day when all men get a free Hawaiian Shirt!
June 20-22 vs. St. Louis – STAR WARS NIGHT IS THE WEDNESDAY GAME (21ST). This year’s bobblehead is the Phanatic as a Rebel pilot! Bookending that game are Greek Heritage Night on Tuesday and another #TBT Emoji Night on Thursday.
All unique teams in June meaning this is your only shot to see them in 2017 and the giveaways are fantastic.
July
July 3-6 vs. Pittsburgh – This series is LOADED. Anything Philly/Pittsburgh is a good time. Add in GAME OF THRONES NIGHT (3rd), the 4th of July game, AND fireworks and you’ve got a series you’ll need to come to multiple games.
July 7-9 vs. San Diego – The Padres certainly won’t draw you in but the promos will. Fireworks on Friday, Mike Schmidt bobblehead giveaway on Saturday, and for the kids, a retro Phillies jacket giveaway on Sunday.
July 21-23 vs. Milwaukee – Odubell Herrera kids shirts giveaway on my birthday (23rd) is the lone highlight of this series.
July 24-26 vs. Houston – Great team to watch and a Christmas in July theme night. Solid series to check out.
July 28-31 vs. Atlanta – The Braves return to wrap up July and the Phils loaded this one up with good promos. Italian Heritage night on Friday (28th), Hunter Hayes postgame concert on Saturday, and then kids promos on Sunday and Monday.
Tied for the most series in a month with September/October, July may not have the most talented teams in town (sans Houston) but the promos at the beginning of the month are can’t miss tickets.
August
August 10-13 vs. New York – Alumni weekend. Saturday night is when this year’s inductee gets enshrined. Sunday is Alumni Day. Both games are a ton of fun to go to.
August 22-24 vs. Miami – Another mid-week series with Miami…
August 25-27 vs. Chicago – It’s the Cubs. You should go.
August 28-30 vs. Atlanta – Mid-week Braves series. Tuesday (29th) is Phitness Night. Probably to learn how to burn off all the stadium snacks you’ve eaten all summer.
Alumni weekend and the Cubs are the highlights of the month. Two great weekends at the ballpark but the mid-week series are nothing to write home about.
September/October
September 12-14 vs. Miami – Fun fact: all of Miami’s trips to Philly are for mid-week series. No weekend love for the Marlins.
September 15-17 vs. Oakland – Similar to Seattle and Houston, this is likely your only chance to see Oakland in town for three years.
September 18-21 vs. LA Dodgers – A four-game set against the Dodgers means you’ll probably get a Kershaw start but that entire pitching staff is must see baseball. It’s also the Phillies’ yearly college series meaning they have a career fair for various aspects of the sports business each night.
September 25-27 vs. Washington – Star Trek night on the 26th and Oktoberfest on the 27th. Good theme nights if you like those types of things.
Septemeber 29-October 1 vs. New York – Fan Appreciation weekend. Like Alumni Weekend, this a great series to attend and the Phillies make sure that you enjoy yourself, even if they’re 20 games out.
Great teams coming into town to close out the year and the promos seem to be enticing for a team that has such a slim chance of being relevant then.
What series are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments…
Follow @geordo9
The THUNDERBLOG 