Phillies: 5 unforgettable things from 2020 home games

5. Cardboard cutouts

News first broke in late June that the Phillies were exploring an application that would allow fans to submit a photo to have a cardboard cutout created of their likeness.

And, one week before Opening Day, Phillies Executive Vice President Dave Buck said he hopes the Phillies receive a lot of fan submissions and that they think it’s “kind of fun.”

Well, with more than 10,000 cutouts that ultimately were placed in seats at Citizens Bank Park, filling the lower bowl from foul pole to foul pole and throughout the outfield, it is safe to say that the effort was a success — with proceeds benefiting Phillies Charities.

Phillies fans really came through, too; most other teams barely could fill even a section with cutouts, let alone nearly one-quarter of their stadium capacity.

There were some greats things about the cutouts that came with them. One diehard fan even used the cutouts to propose to his girlfriend. In late August, the Phillies unveiled a 360-degree “fan cam view,” where fans who purchased a cutout could find and tag themselves.

The Phillies also had themes with the cutouts, including their great initiative throughout September placing gold-background cutouts with children to raise awareness of childhood cancer. When the Phillies celebrated the 40-year reunion of the 1980 World Series champions, they placed cardboard cutouts in the right-field second deck of every member from the team. During their season-opening homestead, the Phillies honored healthcare workers by giving them “first dibs” to have a cutout, behind home plate.

Kudos for the Phillies for hitting the cardboard cutouts “out of the board,” and for their staff for volunteering countless hours for them to be installed in time.