The Phillies got massive ovations during introductions ahead of the team’s home opener against the Colorado Rockies — but no one received bigger cheers than the two Eagles players in the house to throw the first pitch.
You knew there were going to be some Eagles cameos after Big Dom — in a red tracksuit, of course — was spotted taking photos with the Phanatic on the field pregame. But exactly who was showing up was kept under wraps until just before game time, when the park started playing “Fly, Eagles Fly,” and newly retired Brandon Graham emerged from the dugout with the Lombardi Trophy in hand.
Right behind him was NFL offensive player of the year Saquon Barkley, and the pair threw out ceremonial first pitches to Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott.
The crowd’s cheer was deafening for the Super Bowl LIX winners, especially Graham, who officially announced his retirement after 15 NFL seasons earlier this month. Some people expressed a wish during the opening series against the Nats for the Eagles chants to stop at Phillies games, but I feel like this shows there’s a strong case for them. They just won the Super Bowl! Give the Phillies the good energy.
And that’s exactly what they did. In the bottom of the seventh inning, during a crucial moment, the team debuted a new hype video featuring Graham in a Phillies sweatshirt with the tagline, “This is Philly” — and it worked. Edmundo Sosa hit a go-ahead double for the Phillies’ first two runs of the game right after it played. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer the very next at-bat. The Brandon Graham effect is real.
Eagles legends throwing out the first pitch following their retirement is turning into somewhat of a tradition — Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce came together to throw the first pitch for the second game of the Phillies’ season in 2024, shortly after both retired. Luckily for Eagles fans, only one of the two players on the field Monday is retired — the other, Barkley, signed a contract extension with the Birds this offseason that him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
