Phillies make big changes to Citizens Bank Park bullpen setup

There’s plenty of new changes to take in at Citizens Bank Park. Fans will notice wrap around LED screens around the park, along with some new food offerings. For players, specifically relievers, there is a huge change to the home and visiting bullpens.

The Phillies have enclosed the benches on both levels. Relievers on both teams will get to enjoy a climate-controlled environment with sliding glass doors.

It’s a huge change. Part of the Phillies’ home field advantage was having the the visiting bullpen on top of the nonstop heckling fans in Ashburn Alley. It still exists, but now relievers get to escape from it during the game. They will have no choice but to hear whatever the fans have to say when warming up or stretching. The mounds are not covered.

“Coming here in the past, the fans definitely did get on you and I felt like, yeah, it was a competitive advantage for the Phillies,” reliever Jordan Romano said. “It is what it is though. I think it’s good for us, and I think it helps opposing teams a little bit.”

The Colorado Rockies will be the first team that gets to enjoy the new amenities. Manager Bud Black didn’t get a chance to see the setup, but he doesn’t think it will help his team much.

“Knowing our relievers, we don’t run for cover,” Black joked. “That type of stuff doesn’t bother the Rockies, alright?”

Other player-centric changes to the ballpark includes new lighting in the Phillies clubhouse and glass refrigerators in the home dugout. The visiting team, sadly, does not get a fridge.

Phillies Nation’s Ty Daubert contributed to this story.