Phillies to Honor Mike Trout on ‘Millville Pride Night’

The pride of Millville, Mike Trout makes a rare appearance at Citizen's Bank Park this weekend as the Los Angles Angels play an interleague series with the Phillies.

The Phillies will celebrate “Millville Pride Night” during Friday night’s series opener, and there should be plenty of blue-and-orange Millville High # 1 Trout jerseys throughout the park all weekend.

It goes without saying that Trout will have a big rooting section for the games.

Tonight's games will be just the third game ever in Philadelphia for the former Millville Little Leaguer and high school star, a first-round pick of the Angels, 3-time American League MVP, 9-time All-Star, and future Hall of Famer.

Several thousand fans from Millville and around South Jersey are expected to make the drive to be there, but it will be hard to rival the craziness of Trout's only other appearance at Citizen's Bank Park in 2014 when locals rented seven charter buses and eight school buses to make their way to the game.

There were tailgate parties and a pregame party in a stadium sports bar. The Millville High band and chorus performed the national anthem. The mayor threw out the first pitch.

As Trout was introduced before his first at-bat, a sellout Philly crowd rose and cheered wildly for the Angels center fielder, an ovation that lasted for 30 seconds.

Who said Philly fans are cruel and abusive?

The Angels were scheduled to play in Philadelphia in 2020, but that series was a Covid casualty.

Mike Trout has said he circled this weekend's dates on his calendar when this year's schedule came out.

Welcome home, Mike!