Yes, that was a U.S. Supreme Court justice at Citizens Bank Park for the Phillies World Series game

The Astros have a polarizing fan in U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the Phillies have Justice Samuel Alito

U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Phillies fan, Samuel Alito, in his chambers in Washington, D.C. (Yong Kim / Staff Photographer)Read more

Published Nov. 4, 2022, 4:00 p.m. ET

It’s been a real who’s who this week at Citizens Bank Park as the Phillies faced the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Fans were generally delighted to see figures like Bruce Springsteen, Top Gun actor Miles Teller, Meek Mill and others showing their support for the Fightins. But Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito received less of a warm welcome when his name and face flashed on the Jumbotron Thursday night. Alito had ditched the robe for a casual leather jacket and a maroon sweater vest.

Looking for a scapegoat for Thursday’s loss, some went so far as to blame the night’s 3-2 loss on the justice, whom they accused of messing with the vibes.

Alito most recently made headlines this summer. He penned the majority opinion in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which prompted mass demonstrations in Philadelphia.

A consistent conservative voice on the bench, Alito also wrote the majority opinion in a 2010 decision that said the right to bear arms extends to state and local governments, essentially making handgun bans in cities like Chicago unenforceable. Alito also wrote the majority opinion in the 2014 Burwell v. Hobby Lobby ruling that said some companies could refuse to cover contraception in their health plans due to religious objections.

To some, Alito’s presence at Citizens Bank Park came as a surprise, but the justice’s allegiance to the team has been well documented.

In a 2010 interview with the Daily News, Alito’s allegiance to the Phillies was palpable in his office, with bits of red memorabilia spread out across bookshelves.

Alito said his fandom came from his father, despite growing outside of Trenton in a neighborhood where there was an even split of Yankees and Phillies fans. Alito said his family often went to Sunday games, and he played second base in high school.

In 1994, Alito’s wife gifted him a week of Phillies Phantasy Camp — Alito won the “Silver Glove Award” for his fielding but was not much of a hitter.

Alito’s love for the Phillies was so well known that the Phanatic was brought in to surprise him during the traditional welcome dinner for new justices.

“It was a very nice dinner and toward the end before dessert, [Justice] Steve [Breyer] said, ‘And now we have this very special guest who’s come to help welcome Justice Alito,’” Breyer told the Daily News in 2010. “He opened the door and the Phillie Phanatic came in and gave me a big hug. And it was great.”

The Phillies aren’t the only team to have a famous polarizing fan.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is a diehard Astros supporter who is familiar with heckling. Just last month, Cruz made headlines after he waded into the Bronx to watch the Astros play the Yankees and was met with the bird.