SI

Rob Thomson Classily Lauded Phillies Fans for Staying After Late Rain Delay

Tim Capurso

Rob Thomson lauded Phillies fans after waiting out a long rain delay.
Rob Thomson lauded Phillies fans after waiting out a long rain delay. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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No one would have blamed Philadelphia Phillies fans if they left Camden Yards when the skies opened up before the top of the 11th inning and a 71-minute rain delay ensued during the club's 5–3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. In fact, a majority of the sell-out crowd of 43,987 fans headed for the exits when the rains came.

But a contingent of Phillies fans waited out the late rain delay, which ultimately saw the game resume shortly after 11:00 p.m. ET, staying—in an opposing team's ballpark no less—to watch a game that, at the time, could have gone either way.

The Phillies fans' support didn't go unnoticed, as manager Rob Thomson classily lauded the entire fanbase while speaking to reporters after the thrilling game.

"So first of all, I just want to say, we've got the greatest fans in the world," Thomson said. "Those people who stayed to the end, that was really cool. Our guys really appreciated it.”

The Phillies fans could be heard loud and clear, especially when third baseman Alec Bohm lined a two-run double into left field to score the go-ahead runs, and then again when relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez struck out Orioles outfielder Kyle Stowers to end the game.

"We've been on this long road trip," Thomson said. "You know, they [the fans] show up to Boston, they show up here. They stay through a rain delay. Yeah, just tells me a lot about our fanbase."

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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