Philadelphia Phillies

The wait is over for Philadelphia Phillies fans, who might have been happy to keep waiting, after the team dropped its City Connect jersey.

The Phillies revealed the new threads in a video captioned "Unapologetically Philly."

The front of the jersey reads "PHILLY" with a blue gradient starting lighter at the top and becoming darker down the uniform.

The unveiling didn't provide any big surprises because a rumored jersey design was leaked months ago. Let's just say the early reviews are mixed.

The Phillies said the blue and yellow color scheme is based on the municipal flag for Philadelphia. The team also intended for the color gradient to represent how the city "has always been a place unafraid to revolutionize, start anew and work hard to make change."

The jersey includes some nods to Philadelphia, among them the city skyline on the inside neck collar and the "City of Brotherly Love" nickname on one of the sleeves.

While the City Connects may not be universally beloved by Phillies fans, they do have one major endorser.

Two-time MVP Bryce Harper considers them "dope," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The team sought out his advice early in the design process, and he was fully on board.

"When I first saw them, I definitely didn't think that was the vibe they were going to go with," Harper said. "I never thought blue, yellow, that kind of thing. I never thought those were going to be the colors. I thought red or green for the Phanatic, or even black. Those were on my mind before I saw it.

"And then I saw it, and then I got the story behind it, and I thought it was cool. It's way different than anything anybody could have ever imagined, but it comes together so well. The look, the story, everything."

As long as the best player and franchise cornerstone likes them, who's to say otherwise?

The Phillies will debut their City Connects on April 12 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and continue wearing them for Friday home games.

Rumors circulated that the host Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds were waiting out a lengthy rain delay on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park because a wedding was taking place there the following day, thereby knocking out a common off date where the two teams could easily make up the game.

However, a ballpark representative clarified that a wedding isn't the occasion blocking the teams from playing.

Jim Day of Bally Sports Cincinnati reported Wednesday that Citizens Bank Park is booked Thursday. No official reason was provided.

Thursday's activities at the ballpark ultimately became a moot point, as the Phillies pulled the tarp off the field just after 7 p.m. ET to play ball later that evening.

After entering Tuesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds in a 0-for-11 slump, Philadelphia Phillies star slugger Bryce Harper appears to have found his groove.

Harper launched three home runs and finished with six RBI to lead the Phillies to a 9-4 win over the Reds in Game 2 of their three-game series. Cincinnati won the first game 6-3 on Monday.

Harper wasted no time in setting the tone for Philadelphia, blasting a solo homer with two outs in the first inning off Reds starter Graham Ashcraft. He hit another solo shot in the fourth inning and capped things in emphatic fashion with a grand slam in the seventh. It was his first three-homer game as a member of the Phillies since signing with the team in 2019.

In addition to Harper's 3-for-4 outing, Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh also went 3-for-4 and hit a solo home run, his second long ball of the year.

Fans on social media were blown away by the show Harper put on in Tuesday's win:

Harper is looking to bounce back from a recent run of injury-riddled seasons, as he's played in fewer than 140 games in three out of the last four years. While his slow start was somewhat concerning, he alleviated that with Tuesday's performance.

The Phillies (2-3) are certainly encouraged by Harper's breakout game, and they will look to close out the series against the Reds (3-2) in Wednesday's finale.

Bryce Harper got a special nod from a Philadelphia legend ahead of the Phillies' game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

Jason Kelce, who recently announced his retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles, signed Harper's cleats after throwing the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

Kelce joined former Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who also retired following the 2023 season, in throwing the first pitch, which Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber caught. Both pitches were impressive for two guys without much baseball experience. They might not have been strikes, but they at least were within reach of Harper and Schwarber behind the plate.

Both Kelce and Cox have long submitted themselves as Philadelphia legends, each spending their entire career with the Eagles. Now, Harper is looking to do the same. The Phillies first baseman has been in Philadelphia for five seasons and is just starting his sixth. In that time, he's won an MVP and led the Phillies to a World Series appearance in 2022, falling to the Houston Astros.

If Harper and the Phillies can get over the hump and win their first World Series since 2008 this year, he will likely earn the status of a Philadelphia legend like Kelce and Cox.

Jason Kelce will be part of the first-pitch ceremony during Saturday's Philadelphia Phillies game, but he won't be throwing the ball.

The recently retired Eagles center clarified he won't be able to throw a first pitch before the game due to a balky elbow:

Former Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who also retired this offseason, will be handling the first pitch honors.

Kelce has become one of the most sought-after sports personalities in recent months, owing a large part of his increased cachet to his brother Travis' relationship with Taylor Swift. Several TV networks are reportedly pursuing the elder Kelce to join their NFL coverage. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Kelce is viewed as "the linchpin of the NFL TV free-agent season."

WWE Superstar The Miz has also been openly calling for Kelce to make an appearance at WrestleMania 40, which takes place next month in Philadelphia.

Suffice it to say Kelce may wind up busier in retirement than when he was playing.

Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery remains on the Philadelphia Phillies' radar with Opening Day quickly approaching, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale reported the Phillies "are at least internally discussing the possibility" and have yet to make a firm decision one way or the other.

This comes days after the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Montgomery's representatives and the New York Yankees "are back in contact" but still some distance apart in negotiations.

After Blake Snell signed only a two-year deal with the San Francisco Giants, the Phillies and others might have felt more emboldened about playing hardball with Montgomery.

However, Philadelphia is likely feeling an increased level of desperation as well with right-hander Taijuan Walker sidelined due to a right shoulder problem. At the very least, Walker could open the year on the 15-day injured list.

Maybe the Phillies love their internal options to replace Walker. Spencer Turnbull is poised to join the rotation but doesn't inspire a ton of confidence after allowing 25 earned runs across 31 innings in 2023, his first year back from Tommy John surgery.

If Philly wants outside help to bolster its pitching staff, then Montgomery is far and away the top option on the table. There's a sizable gap between him and the best of what's left.

Whereas Snell didn't gain that much from playing the waiting game, Montgomery could ultimately have more leverage to find a middle ground between what he's seeking and what suitors have been prepared to offer.

As he prepares for his 12th MLB season, Nick Castellanos is determined to have the best season of his career.

"There's a lot of baseball players that are like milk," Castellanos told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. "Milk is only good when it's fresh. And then as you leave it out a while, it spoils. There are some other baseball players that are like wine. What happens with wine?

"Exactly. Those are the only two kinds. You're either milk or wine. There's no in the middle."

Castellanos is in the third season of a five-year, $100 million contract he signed with the Phillies ahead of the 2022 season. After a wildly disappointing first year in Philly, Castellanos hit 272/.311/.476 with 29 home runs and 106 runs batted in. He made his second career All-Star team in the process.

While Castellanos' overall numbers were solid last season, the Phillies will hope for better consistency in 2024. He failed to record a hit in his last 23 postseason at bats as Philadelphia was upset in the NLCS by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"It's cool because I find that in my 30s, even though I'm coming into my 11th year (in the majors), there's just so many different avenues that are motivating me to keep it fresh," Castellanos said. "And I think that the more that I get older, the more I realize how temporary it all is."

The Phillies enter the 2024 season with high hopes of making another postseason run and have one of the most loaded lineups in baseball. Castellanos is joined by Bryce Harper, Trae Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm in a powerful group that could each top 20 home runs easily next season.

It'll be up to Castellanos to continue proving he's aging like wine for the Phillies to reach their potential.

After securing a long-term commitment from Aaron Nola in free agency, the Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly taken care of Zack Wheeler.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, Wheeler has agreed to a three-year, $126 million extension that "is the highest annual salary for any contract extension ever."

Olney added more details on the $42 million-per-year extension:

Nola was the first major free-agent domino to fall this offseason when he inked a seven-year, $172 million deal to remain in Philadelphia.

"This is the most comfortable place for me," Nola said of his decision to stay with the Phillies. "Everybody in this organization is so good and has been so committed to winning and committed to the players. The relationships that I've made, that's going to last a lifetime, and I feel like it would be hard to get away from those people."

Nola's connection with the Phillies dates back to 2014 when they selected him with the No. 7 pick in the MLB draft.

Wheeler's ties to the Phillies don't run quite that deep, but he's established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball during his four seasons with the club. The 33-year-old originally joined the team on a five-year, $118 million pact signed in December 2019 after starting his career with the New York Mets.

The 2024 season was set to be Wheeler's last year under contract to the Phillies based on the terms of his original deal.

Since the start of the 2020 season, Wheeler has finished in the top 12 of NL Cy Young voting three times, including a runner-up finish in 2021. He leads all pitchers in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (19.3), ranks fourth in innings pitched (629.1) and fielding independent pitching (2.90) during that span.

Wheeler's age—he will turn 34 on May 30—does make this a risky proposition for the team, but he's been incredibly durable since missing all of 2015 and 2016 with the Mets due to complications from Tommy John surgery. He's made at least 26 starts in each of the past five seasons with at least 162 games (excluding the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign).

The Phillies have left no doubt they intend to stay all-in as they attempt to get over the final hurdle and win a World Series for the first time since 2008. Nola, Wheeler, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber are all under contract through at least 2025.

Philadelphia has advanced to the NLCS in each of the past two seasons, including a trip to the World Series in 2022. A rotation led by Wheeler and Nola should keep this team at that level for 2024 and beyond.