WATCH: Phillies release touching tribute honoring the infamous P00P games ahead of weekend series vs Pirates

Ahead of the 2025 MLB season, NBC Sports Philadelphia rolled out a new on-screen scoreboard (aka “score bug”) that immediately had Phillies fans questioning whether or not the new-look was a necessary update.

Let’s just say reactions were mixed.

The main point of criticism was obviously the death of P00P games and in a rare occurrence of self-awareness, Major League Baseball and the Phillies acknowledged the score bug update and the death of the P00P games ahead of tonight’s weekend series between the Phillies and Pirates.

Phillies tribute ahead of game vs Pirates honoring the P00P Score Bug

This touching tribute ahead of the Phillies-Pirates game brought tears to our eyes. #RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/QlGGrrSkdU
— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) May 16, 2025

The real tragedy here, though, isn’t just the aesthetics—it’s what we lost in the process. For years, whenever the Phillies played the Pirates, the old score bug would display “P00P” at the start of games (Phillies 0, Pirates 0, Top of 1st).

Phillies fans responding to the score bug change: pic.twitter.com/ARKqqdBsa1
— Abigail ⚾️💚 (@AbigailCSports) February 23, 2025

It goes without saying that having any type of tribute for a score bug is bat shit crazy but credit to Major League Baseball and the Phillies for actually being in touch with fans. That doesn’t happen too often. Plus, it was kind of funny and a good way to pass the time during the early rain delay on Friday night.

Let’s be clear—the new score bug isn’t terrible. It has all the necessary information, it’s clean, and it’s functional. But it’s also a downgrade from the previous version.

The old one incorporated team logos, which gave it a polished and modern look. This one looks like something out of a 1990s sports movie that couldn’t afford real MLB licensing.