Phillies honoring healthcare heroes with ‘game face’ cutouts

The Phillies are honoring healthcare heroes with cardboard cutouts

When the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Miami Marlins on Friday to kick off their 60-game sprint, healthcare heroes will go from being on the front lines, to having their “game face” prominently displayed as part of the Opening Day “crowd” at Citizens Bank Park.

On Wednesday, the Phillies announced that they will honor area healthcare heroes by displaying cardboard cutouts of them, dressed in hospital uniforms and/or baseball gear, directly behind home plate in the Diamond Club.

Phillies Executive Vice President Dave Buck says the organization is “proud to honor the countless healthcare heroes who have shown extraordinary care and commitment” to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As our broadcast cameras capture the ‘crowd’ on Nemours Opening Day, we want our doctors, nurses and healthcare workers to know that we are so grateful for their sacrifice and courage,” Buck continued.

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The healthcare hero “game face” cutouts will remain behind home plate through the season-opening homestand against the Marlins and New York Yankees.

Soon, season ticket holders and the general public will also be able to upload their high-resolution photo for an 18-by-36-inch cutout; the cost will be $25 for season ticket holders and $40 for the general public, with net proceeds benefiting Phillies Charities.

The cutouts are just one of the several new aspects of the unprecedented season amid the pandemic. Through Major League Baseball’s released operations manual, longstanding baseball traditions will be broken, at least for 2020, such as the National League not having the designated hitter, and, of course, fans being able to attend games in-person. Baseball is still holding out hope that fans will be able to return later on.

First pitch for Opening Day this Friday, with Aaron Nola on the mound, is slated for 7:05 p.m.