The Phillies did not hold Delaware County Day to coincide with yesterday's home opener.
It just seemed that way.
It started with Matt Collins. The Darby Township 10-year-old who is battling leukemia fired one into the plate after being tabbed for his tenacity in undergoing several types of chemotherapy each week.
Next up were a couple of members of the NCAA National Champion Villanova Wildcats. Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu kept the Villanova party going.
But Jesse Hartnett topped them all.
Hartnett, the East Lansdowne native and Philadelphia police officer who was seriously wounded in an ambush attack in January, was not satisfied with using his uninjured right arm to toss one to the plate while his left arm remains in a sling.
Hartnett had another kind of pitch in mind.
After tossing out the first pitch, Hartnett dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes.
You can get all the details on the Delco connections here.
Unfortunately, they also played a game, and the Phillies, thanks in part to a bizarre infield fly ruling, lost to the Padres. You can read all about the game here.
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