READING, Pa. – Baseballtown came alive Tuesday night, leading up to the moment that fans have been waiting over 30 years to witness: The Reading Fightin Phils swept the championship series.
Reading dominates SeaWolves in title clinching performance.
Now, the team and their fans are partying like it’s 1995. That’s when Reading last celebrated an outright Eastern League championship win — 31 years ago.
Tuesday night, fans couldn’t have been more happy, cheering in stands that the team’s drought was finally over.
“I’m so excited,” said one fan. “I’ve never been part of a championship.”
The Fightin Phils beat the Erie SeaWolves, 13-4, to sweep the championship series and bring the title back to Reading.
The last time the R-Phils had a championship appearance was in 2015.
“It’s been crazy,” said another fan. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Faithful fans say they never gave up and they’ve been patiently waiting for this moment for over 30 years.
The general manager at the R-Phils says it’s a different vibe when the team is playing at this stage of the season.
“I’ve been coming here for 25 of those years, so it would feel absolutely amazing,” said one man.
The wait, some fans said, made their win all the sweeter.
“I didn’t get to see ‘95, obviously, but to get to see this one is awesome,” said a man at the game.
Late Tuesday night, the celebration was still going on at FirstEnergy Stadium. After waiting 31 years, the fans weren’t in any hurry to leave.