An unexpected appearance by the Philadelphia Phillies team turned into a memorable memory for one fan. He permanently signed autographs from two of their players.
Mat Bernardo from Wilmington was with Tommy McLean and his friend Tommy McLean at Xfinity Live when the Phils visited the VIP Area to celebrate their win over the Atlanta Braves.
“You look up and the whole team is there? It’s an unbelievable experience,” Bernardo said.
The fan recalls that, after he bought Alec Bohm’s jersey at the game earlier that day, he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to go all out.
“I stuck my arm out and told him to sign my arm, and I told him I was going to get it tattooed,” he said.
Brandon Marsh and Bernardo were signed by Bohm. By 1 a.m. the diehard fan had received autographs, while Brandon Marsh was able to give him a permanent tattoo.
While Bohm is Bernardo’s favorite player on the Phillies squad, the fan says he would’ve appreciated all of the players’ signatures — and there’s plenty of room to add more names.
“It could’ve been the bat boy and I still would’ve gotten it tattooed,” he said.
“Just to be there in that moment, and to then have it on me for the rest of my life, to be able to tell the story about it, to be able to look down and remember it, is priceless.”
