PHILADELPHIA -- Before the first pitch of spring training is ever thrown, the Phillies send something far more important south: the truck.
Not a metaphorical truck. An actual, rumbling, 18-wheeler of hope. And it left South Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Somewhere between Philadelphia and Clearwater, barreling through eight states and 1,058 miles of highway, is the most heavily packed baseball vehicle this side of Cooperstown. Inside are not just uniforms and bats. Inside are dreams. Inside is muscle memory. Inside is the smell of rosin and fresh leather and brand-new batting practice tops that haven’t yet been grass-stained by optimism.
Every year, before pitchers and catchers report, the staff loads up tractor trailers with everything a baseball season needs to be born.
And the inventory reads like the receipt from the world’s largest sporting goods store:
What’s in the truck this year?
- Baseballs: 2,400
- Shirts and batting practice tops: 2,500
- Bats: 1,200
- Pairs of socks: 900 (the silent heroes of camp)
- Batting practice hats: 600
- Pairs of pants: 600
- Fleeces and jackets: 440 (Florida in February is still a liar)
- Pairs of shorts: 350
- Batting gloves: 300
- Batting helmets: 140
- Belts: 125
- Pairs of spikes and turf shoes: 75
- Coolers: 20 (hydration has never been more organized)
“This is an exciting sign that Phillies baseball is just around the corner,” said Phillies Director of Clubhouse Services Phil Sheridan. “Thanks to Citizens, our equipment truck will have an All-Star design, so our fans can spot it on the road as it makes its 1,058-mile journey from Philadelphia to Clearwater.”
In other words: if you’re driving down I-95 and see a truck dressed like October, honk respectfully.
Dan Fitzpatrick, President of Citizens’ Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Regions, added that the partnership travels too — not just the gear.
“Our longstanding partnership with the Phillies extends beyond Citizens Bank Park into the community, and we’re excited for what this year will bring to Philadelphia and the Phans. Our Citizens Ballpark Bankers are ready to welcome Phans back to the ballpark and bring them along the journey of another special season.”
Which is fitting. Because this truck is basically the season’s first road trip.
The 2026 season marks the 22nd anniversary of Phillies spring training at BayCare Ballpark and the club’s 80th spring training in Clearwater overall — a tradition older than most of the gloves inside that trailer.
The truck arrives on Sunday, February 8, just in time to unlock baseball again.
Pitchers and catchers report on February 11.
The full team follows on February 16.
And then, finally, baseball puts on shorts.
The Phillies open Grapefruit League play on February 21 in Dunedin against the Toronto Blue Jays before opening the home portion of the schedule on February 22 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
So if you think about it, spring training doesn’t begin with a fastball.
It begins with a forklift.
It begins with 2,400 baseballs stacked like cargo crates of possibility.
It begins with a truck rolling south, carrying everything the Phillies will need to find out who they are this year.
And somewhere on that highway, winter quietly loses another argument.
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