This Phillies fan missed NLCS Game 2 because the Philadelphia Sports Complex reached maximum capacity

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – More than 126,000 fans filled the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

For the first time ever, all parking spaces and parking spaces at the sports grounds were full – and traffic was backed up for miles.

“I was really angry, sad and full of emotion when I had to make the decision to leave,” Michael Clark said.

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Clark and his grandfather spent hundreds of dollars on tickets to Game 2 of the NLCS but never made it to Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night.

“We looked at each other and said, ‘There’s no way we’re coming into that parking lot. We might as well just watch at home,'” Clark said.

Traffic came to a standstill in South Philly – with the Phillies, Flyers and the Mexico vs. Germany game takes place on the same evening.

Our own Jessica Kartalija was also stuck and after an hour she said cars started driving across a grassy median to turn around.

According to all three stadiums, more than 62,000 spectators were in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field.

Nearly 19,000 fans attended the Flyers’ home opener and more than 45,000 people packed Citizens Bank Park. That’s more than 126,000 fans at the sports facility at the same time.

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“Packed like I’ve never seen it before, and we have season tickets to the Phils, the Eagles, the Sixers, and I’ve never seen it this bad,” Clark said.

Some fans told CBS News Philadelphia they were in gridlock for three hours before heading home.

Officials said the football game started late because both teams were stuck in traffic and, according to the Phillies, it was the first time that all parking spaces at the sports complex were completely full.

“We just have so much passion on this team that it’s hard to miss a playoff game like this, especially in the NLCS you don’t get a lot of opportunities,” Clark said.

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Ryan Hughes

Ryan Hughes joined CBS3 Eyewitness News in June 2022. He previously worked at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he covered stories ranging from the week-long Surfside apartment collapse to the impact of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas to the Super Bowl in Miami.