Phillies to hold spring on-field tribute for 2008 championship team

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

With the 2018 spring training well underway, 10 seasons have arrived since the Philadelphia Phillies captured their second World Series championship in franchise history in Oct. 2008 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Surely, the club will hold many tributes this season to commemorate the team which snapped a 25-year championship drought in Philadelphia. One ceremony will be the Saturday, August 4 Wall of Fame induction of then-general manager and team executive Pat Gillick.

The following day, on Sunday, August 5, the Phillies will honor the championship team pregame during their annual Toyota Phillies Alumni Day, where former club Wall of Famers, Hall of Famers, and others are introduced on the field prior to the game.

It appears the fans will not have to wait for those ceremonies five months away, however. The Phillies will hold an old-field tribute to honor members of the 2008 team before their Sunday, March 4 spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Spectrum Field, according to Rachel Micali, booking producer for NBC Sports Philadelphia.

It is not known what players from the team will be in attendance. One member from the 2008 team will definitely there, however, in southpaw J.A. Happ. Happ, entering his 12th big league season, is currently a member of the Blue Jays top their starting rotation, with right-hander Marcus Stroman shut down with right shoulder inflammation on Feb 27.

The game, and likely the ceremony, can be seen on NBC Sports Philadephia Plus and heard on SportsRadio 94 WIP.

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