Story byCorey Davis, 6abc Digital StaffTue, February 3, 2026 at 5:58 PM UTC·2 min readThe countdown to the 2026 baseball season has officially begun!The Phillies are packing up their gear and leaving snowy South Philadelphia on Tuesday to head to spring training in Clearwater, Florida. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTruck Day is an annual tradition at Citizens Bank Park, with Phillies front office staff and Citizens Ballpark Bankers helping pack the items onto three 28-foot trailers. It's Truck Day! The Phillies are packing up their gear and leaving snowy South Philadelphia, to head to spring training in Clearwater, Florida. They will spend several hours loading in all the equipment the team will need, including 2,400 baseballs, 1,200 bats, 140 helmets, 300 batting gloves, and thousands of clothing items like shirts, jackets, socks, and belts."When the truck is loaded, hopefully the warm weather is coming, and probably eight weeks from now, baseball will be upon us," said Frankie Bowens, manager of ballpark operations. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBowens has been taking part in Truck Day for 25 years now. Newcomers are just as excited."This is my first Truck Day, so I'm really excited about it, and I get to do it with my son right here," said Citizen Ballpark Banker, Carol Mason."It's great to be behind the scenes and see all the magic," said Carol's son, Andrew Mason. And the team also won't leave home without its biggest hype man, the Phillie Phanatic, and his hot dog launcher!RELATED: Philadelphia Phillies single-game tickets go on sale for 2026 season"Everyone gets so excited when they see it," said Tim Schmidt, Phillies clubhouse attendant.
