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Hats, gloves, and a hot dog launcher: Countdown to baseball begins as Phillies load spring training truck

After months of preparation, the Phillies truck departed for spring training in Clearwater.

The Phillie Phanatic tosses a box onto the truck at start of loading spring training supplies for the trip to Clearwater, Fla.
The Phillie Phanatic tosses a box onto the truck at start of loading spring training supplies for the trip to Clearwater, Fla. Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

It may not look like it outside, but spring was in the air Tuesday in South Philly.

After a long morning of packing, members of the Phillies front office staff surrounded the first-base gate at Citizens Bank Park and waved their 2026 All-Star Game rally towels as the team truck pulled out and began its journey to spring training in Clearwater, Fla.

The truck — decorated for this year’s All-Star Game, which is July 14 at Citizens Bank Park,— will travel 1,054 miles, passing through eight states before arriving at BayCare Ballpark. Spring training begins in just over a week, on Feb. 11, for pitchers and catchers; the full squad will report on Feb. 16.

Throughout the Phillies’ six weeks in Florida, they’ll need to have all the necessities — from 600 pairs of pants to a single stroller and one very important hot dog launcher — and that’s where the Phillies staff comes in to help.

“Today, we’re packing up the truck,” said Tim Schmidt, a clubhouse attendant for the Phillies. “It’s a pretty long process. I mean, there’s a lot of inventory that goes into it. We have to label everything, we have to put it in bins, and then there’s thousands of items. So, it’s not like it’s just a couple of Nike orders. It’s a lot. It’s time consuming.”

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For a job this big, the team has to get an early start. The packing process began two weeks after the end of the season and officially concluded on Tuesday morning. Workers from Old Dominion Freight Line and members of the Phillies staff began loading up the truck’s three 28-foot trailers at about 8 a.m. and didn’t wrap up until 11:40 a.m.

Of course, they did have a little help from the Phanatic, who made some brief appearances — directing traffic and attempting to ride the forklift.

Despite the distraction, workers packed plenty of essential items for any baseball team into the truck, including …

  1. 5,000 paper cups

  2. 2,400 baseballs

  3. 2,000 short- and long-sleeved shirts

  4. 1,200 bats

  5. 900 pairs of socks

  6. 600 pairs of pants

  7. 600 batting practice hats

  8. 350 pairs of shorts

  9. 300 batting gloves

  10. 250 batting practice tops

  11. 200 fleeces

  12. 200 light jackets

  13. 200 pairs of assorted shoes

  14. 140 batting helmets

  15. 125 leather and elastic belts

  16. 40 heavy jackets

  17. 20 coolers

  18. Several children’s bikes

  19. and one stroller

“I’ve been doing this for nine years,” Schmidt said. “My boss has been doing it for close to, I think, 40 years. So I’m sure there were a couple of hiccups along the way, but now we kind of have it down pat. We know what to do. We know what to bring. We know how much to bring.”

Of course they couldn’t forget the most important item of all — the Phanatic’s high-powered hot dog launcher.

“I’ve been asked a couple times today, ‘What’s the unique item?’” Schmidt said. “It’s the hot dog launcher. That’s the last thing to get loaded onto the truck. Once that’s loaded, everyone gets excited because you kind of know you’re done.”

The Phillies will open their Grapefruit League schedule on Feb. 21 against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. Spring training ends March 23 with a game in Clearwater against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Opening day for the Phillies is March 26 at home against the Texas Rangers.