The Phillies went full colonial on Opening Day and honestly, the city should be doing this more often

I did not make it to Phillies’ Opening Day but I was watching up in t-shirt world and loved every second of the 1776 energy at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies hung the 13-star flag in the outfield. The Phanatic showed up in an 18th century soldier’s outfit looking better than ever.

Colonial re-enactors rode horses around the warning track carrying that beautiful Betsy Ross flag. A fife and drum band performed on the concourse and on the field. The 1976 Bicentennial team helped with the first pitches.

The Phillies went full colonial on Opening Day

Elite Flag. Ring It. https://t.co/lGC6LxiUDz pic.twitter.com/8imbtoGGnu

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) March 26, 2026

This is exactly what Philadelphia should be doing on Opening Day and honestly, it should be something that’s done more often because, well, we literally founded this country.

The city has more claim to American history than any other place on the map and leaning into that on the biggest day of the baseball calendar is not just acceptable, it is mandatory.

I would be fully in favor of doing this every single year, not just for the 250th anniversary.

Phillies Opening Day Pageantry!

i miss yesterday already man pic.twitter.com/Ka12lY3U1E

— dean ☘︎ (@macfindspride) March 27, 2026

Now for the best part, and shoutout to Matt Breen at the Inquirer for this pull. The first ball was delivered to the field by Paul Revere on horseback, which is great on its own.

In 1976, the Phillies actually hired someone to ride a horse from Boston to Philadelphia with the game ball. It took two weeks. Paul Revere left Boston two weeks before Opening Day on a horse with a baseball so it would arrive on time. That is real. That actually happened.

Check out this picture. Incredible lol

Then it gets better. When Paul Revere arrived at the ballpark in 1976 he did not hand the ball to a pitcher or a dignitary. He handed it to a man in the bullpen wearing a jetpack. The jetpack man then launched himself into the air, flew a circuit of the stadium, landed on the field, and presented the ball to Robin Roberts for the ceremonial first pitch.

Absolute cinema at Phillies Opening Day 1976:

@matt_breen – this is amazing, nice pull. i think the craziest part is the fact that the ball was presented to a man with a jet backpack, who then flew with the ball from the bullpen to present it to Robin Roberts, who was making the first throw? did this actually happen? insane pic.twitter.com/Hv3tMCzL2R

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) March 27, 2026

A guy on a horse rode from Boston for two weeks and handed a baseball to a man with a jetpack who flew around Veterans Stadium and gave it to a Hall of Famer.

That is the greatest Opening Day ceremony in the history of professional sports and nobody is talking about it. I searched everywhere and could barely find anything about it. The old heads who were there for that one are sitting on something truly special.

Philadelphia does Opening Day right. Always has.

More from Phillies Opening Day here >>

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