Phillies announce fans can redeem cutouts in October

Phillies fans will be able to keep a special memento from the 2020 season

Philadelphia Phillies fans were not able to fill the seats at Citizens Bank Park this year, but they will still be able to take home a memento from the unprecedented season — their Game Face Fan Photo Cutout.

During the team’s Friday evening series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Phillies announced their planned Cutout Redemption event.

The 10,000-plus fans who participated in the program, which benefited Phillies Charities, will have the opportunity to come to Citizens Bank Park and retrieve their cutouts. The Phils ask program participants to keep an eye on their email, as additional information and details regarding the cutout retrieval will be sent out in early to mid-October.

This announcement comes a few days after the organization announced that the 48 cutouts that were hit by Phillies home run balls at home would be signed and returned; those fans also received tickets to a 2021 game and a package of promotional items.

Behind each cutout, there is a special story behind them. For example, one fan used the cutouts to propose to his longtime girlfriend. Earlier this month, shortstop Didi Gregorius made it up to a diehard fan in a special way after hitting a home run off of their cutout in right-center field.

Gregorius’ personalized note to the fan read: “Michael, Didi wanted to apologize for hitting your cardboard cutout in the head with his home run this week. He also wanted to send along some souvenirs. Hope you’re not angry at him! Go Phillies!”

It is great to see the Phils not only embrace the cutouts, but recognize that fans would like to have them as a keepsake. Hopefully, the cutouts will only be a staple of 2020, and fans will be allowed to attend games in person once again come next season.