Citizens Bank Park

The Angle

Between left-center field and dead center at Citizens Bank Park, the outfield fence juts inward — a section Ballpark Digest calls the "Angle." Center field measures 401 feet from home, and the fence reaches out toward the batter just where a gap hit might otherwise run. The park opened in 2004, replacing Veterans Stadium and its artificial turf with a natural grass-and-dirt field.

The park occupies the northeast corner of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, where Lincoln Financial Field and the Wells Fargo Center share the grounds. Citizens Bank agreed to a 25-year, $95 million naming-rights deal in June 2003, and the chief architect was Stanley Cole of the firm EwingCole, whose design was unveiled at a groundbreaking on June 28, 2001. Near Section 210, a viewing platform nicknamed the "Break" lowers the right-field deck by approximately 20 feet, bringing seats closer to the field. Behind the outfield wall, Ashburn Alley — a brick-paved concourse named for Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn — carries Phillies historical markers and regional food specialties.

The first regular-season pitch here came on April 12, 2004. Randy Wolf threw it to Cincinnati's D'Angelo Jiménez, who doubled and scored the park's first run on a wild pitch. Bobby Abreu hit the stadium's first home run in the bottom of the first. The Reds won the game.

The Rain and the Ring

Four Octobers later came Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. It began on October 27 and was suspended by rain in the bottom of the sixth inning. When play resumed two nights later, Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske for the final out, clinching the Phillies' first World Series championship since 1980.

The 2026 season is the 23rd year of baseball at Citizens Bank Park. The Angle, the Break, and the grass field are where the Phillies built them.

Reporting: Wikipedia, Ballpark Digest, MLB.com. Park data: MLB StatsAPI and Retrosheet, via the Fever engine.