Leading in the final round of the Home Run Derby. His opponent down to one last swing. On the precipice of lifting his tired arms once more to hoist a trophy.
In 2018, it was Bryce Harper who smashed nine home runs in a row in an all-time Derby flourish to vanquish his future Phillies teammate.
So, guess what Schwarber was thinking about Monday night when the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker cut through the boos in sold-out Citizens Bank Park with back-to-back-to-back … to-back homers to walk off the hometown star, 12-11, in a cruel twist to a pulsating Derby final.
“Oh, trust me,” Schwarber said, “yeah, it was definitely popping in your head. Seeing Bryce do what he did in ‘18, and then, obviously what [Walker] was able to do, the run he just had, it’s impressive. I mean, you tip your cap, right?”
What else was there to do?
Schwarber went deep 10 times in 20 swings to survive the first round, unlike Harper, who hit only eight after making a climb-the-ropes, WWE-style entrance upon being introduced by famed 81-year-old ring announcer (and Philadelphian) Michael Buffer. But we’ll come back to that.
In the semifinals, Schwarber edged Willson Contreras, 9-8, with help from a partisan crowd that booed the Red Sox slugger each time he hit a ball over the fence and roared for every non-homer.
Phillies Bryce Harper climbs up the ropes of the boxing ring during his introduction at the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
It set up a showdown with Walker, a 24-year-old former top prospect who has 22 homers for the Cardinals, five fewer than in his first three major league seasons combined.
Schwarber went first and hit 11 balls out on 15 swings, all to the familiar right-field bleachers that he reaches so often during the season with his short left-handed stroke. With Phillies assistant hitting coach Rafael Peña throwing to him, he hit six homers on his first nine swings.
And when he needed a breather, Schwarber stepped out and urged on the 43,863 paying customers.
After 19 swings, Walker trailed 11-8. But the righty-swinging outfielder began peppering the left-field bleachers in bonus time — a 407-footer off the top of the wall here, a 413-foot laser there, a 450-foot missile to tie it up.
“The big one was that one where the ball hits the top of the wall there and snuck over,” Schwarber said. “I was like, oh, that one’s not good for us.”
Walker clinched it with one more mighty swing, shades of Harper in ‘18 and Schwarber in Atlanta last year, when he banged three homers on three swings in the first-ever swing off to decide an All-Star Game that was tied after nine innings.
The Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber reacts as he finishes his turn in the finals of the Home Run Derby.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“That’s a pretty special thing that he was able to do,” Schwarber said, “to lock it in there for those swings and to get them over.”
Indeed, it was one swing from being one of the more memorable nights for the Phillies in their 22-year-old ballpark, which is hosting its first All-Star Game.
Buffer started the show by bellowing his catchphrase — “Let’s get ready to rumble!” — and introducing the Derby contestants, who met in a wrestling ring behind second base.
Harper took it from there.
The last player announced, “The Showman,” as he’s called by teammates, raised both arms to salute the crowd. Upon reaching the ring, he climbed up, shook the ropes, and shouted, “Let’s go!”
“I mean, Buff’s incredible,” Harper said. “He’s so Vegas, right? Being from Vegas, born and raised, they do a lot of fights out there. That’s a guy that I’ve seen a lot on TV. It was insane to see him announcing our names and to announce my name, as well.”
And climbing the ropes?
“I’ve always wanted to do that, too,” Harper said. “Watching wrestling growing up, Sting was one of my favorites. I liked Goldberg, too. I felt like Kevin Nash in that situation, a little bit of nWo. But that was pretty cool.”
Harper was the last player to hit, roughly one hour after the Derby began. He enlisted Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel to throw to him and appeared to get into a groove late in the first round, with six homers in the span of 11 swings.
On his fourth homer, Harper crushed a ball that seemed to disappear beyond the second deck before touching down on Ashburn Alley, estimated at 482 feet. He hit another homer over the batter’s eye in center field.
“I’ve done that in a game, though,” Harper said. “I hit one, what, 480 or something like that to right-center? So, that one felt pretty good. I just wanted to go out there and have some fun and enjoy the best I can.”
Down 3 homers in the @TMobile#HRDerby Finals Down to his final swing
Beyond that, Harper was a spectator. And he plans to only watch the Derby from now on. After being nudged into his third career Derby, the 33-year-old said he won’t compete in another.
“Yeah, I’m done,” he said. “I mean, it took a lot for me to do it this time. Once you get out there, obviously your adrenaline’s going and stuff. You want to have a chance to win it. But, yeah, I’m done. I’m going to hang it up from the Home Run Derby.”
Schwarber was reminded that next year’s All-Star Game will be held at Wrigley Field, where he began his career with the Cubs. He couldn’t possibly be a three-time runner-up, could he?
“Oh man, you’ve got to give me another year to think about that,” Schwarber said. “I’m just thinking about trying to make it home tonight and having a beer. But we’ll see what happens moving forward.”
Four people were wounded when gunfire erupted at a basketball court Monday night in Southwest Philadelphia, police said.
The shooting happened at the James Finnegan Playground around 8:20 p.m. near 69th Street and Guyer Avenue in the city’s Elmwood section, police said.
The location was initially reported as South 68th and Harley Streets, next to the Paschall Playground, which is nearby the other playground.
Three victims, ages 18 and 19 and 20, were shot in the lower parts of their body, said Inspector D.F. Pace. Two of the victims were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. The third victim was transported by private vehicle to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
All three were listed in stable condition, Pace said.
A 40-year-old man mowing a residential lawn was hit in the face with what was believed to be a fragment of a bullet that ricocheted off something, Pace said.
That man was treated at the scene.
Three persons of interest were taken into custody and a car with three guns, including a long gun, was being held by police, Pace said.
A fourth gun was found near the basketball court, he said.
For 38 minutes, Mike Trout talked about everything from coming home for his 12th All-Star Game to the best way to order a cheesesteak. But it took all of 70 seconds to get to the good stuff.
Yo, Mike, would you ever want to play for the Phillies?
“I didn’t think I was going to hear this question,” Trout said Monday.
“You know, I hear this a lot,” said Trout, who famously grew up 40 minutes south of Citizens Bank Park in Millville, N.J. “I enjoy coming to Philly. I’m an Angel, obviously. I’ve got a no-trade clause, so it’s ultimately my decision. But like I said, I love Philly.”
OK, let’s get this out of the way: Trout has played all 16 seasons of his Hall of Fame career for the Angels, a franchise in the throes of its 11th consecutive losing season. The best player of the 2010s hasn’t sniffed the playoffs since 2014, a streak that won’t end any time soon if he stays in Anaheim.
And yet, as far as anyone knows, he has never asked to be traded. Not even to his hometown team, which plays across a South Philly parking lot from his beloved Eagles and Sixers.
People who know Trout doubt he ever will. Joe Maddon, his manager for 2½ seasons, said on The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast that Trout might agree to a trade if he’s approached by owner Arte Moreno.
But Moreno is famously opposed to trading stars (see: Shohei Ohtani) — and especially the greatest player in Angels history. It seems doubtful that will change under newly appointed interim general manager John Mozeliak.
So, another trade deadline will come and go Aug. 3 with Trout staying right where he is.
Right?
“Like I said, I’ve got the no-trade clause,“ he said. ”It’s obviously my decision. I’m with the Angels, so that’s where it’s at.”
But Trout also said this: With the All-Star Game in Philly for the first time in 30 years, “this was circled on the list to try to get here.” He built a home for his family near his parents’ house and Trout National golf resort, with a course designed by Tiger Woods, in Millville, and has end-zone seats for Eagles games.
He also said he was happy to see first-time Phillies All-Star Brandon Marsh, his former Angels teammate. “I’ve been texting him all year,” Trout said, “just telling him how proud I am of him.”
Oh, he said this about fans who ask (beg?) him all the time if he’d approve a trade to the Phillies: “I grew up a Phillies fan, Eagles fan, Sixers fan, and I know how passionate they are about the sports teams. I go to Eagles games. I know how I cheer for the Eagles, so it means a lot. Being a fan and just seeing friends and family, I see a lot of Phillies fans when I’m at the Eagles games. I hear about it all the time when I’m there. I appreciate them.”
And Trout, who returned last week from a strained right hamstring, is exactly what the Phillies need: a right-handed hitter with power and on-base ability to hit in the middle of the order and protect Bryce Harper.
Mike Trout has played 16 seasons as an Angel and has a no-trade clause in his contract. Julio Cortez
“I love Mike, man,” Harper said. “We played [Arizona] Fall League together [in 2011]. We became friends. It’s great to see him back and healthy. Obviously it’s been a tough couple years health-wise for him. We all pull for him in the league, just because we know how talented he is and how good he is, any time he’s able to get on a national stage.”
Harper got a slap on the wrist from MLB in 2019 when he lobbied for Trout to join him with the Phillies. He wasn’t making that mistake again.
But Harper did have one prediction: “He’ll probably go deep [in the All-Star Game], I’d imagine, just because that’s who he is. It’s a lot of fun to be able to see a guy like that be able to do it in his hometown of Philly.”
Indeed, Trout will be the first batter of the 96th All-Star Game when he leads off for the American League. He has played only eight games in Citizens Bank Park, probably never in front of a crowd that will be this loud.
Trout said he will have about 20 friends and family members in attendance, including his wife, Jessica, and their two sons. He plans to stick around Wednesday, too, and play Trout National before flying back to Southern California to open the second half.
So, maybe there’s a chance — teeny and tiny, though it may be — that 18 holes in Millville and a six-hour flight back to baseball irrelevance with the sounds of a sold-out Philly crowd ringing in his ears might make Trout rethink that no-trade clause?
“I mean, it’s how I was raised,” Trout said of his loyalty to the Angels. “I was a big [Derek] Jeter fan growing up, you know? Obviously he was with one team his whole career.”
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s new $50.8 billion state budget was sprawled across more than 600 pages of legislation and signed into law on Sunday. New data center regulations, education funding, and more were approved in the wide-ranging spending package.
But some of the most pressing issues facing the General Assembly were noticeably absent from the final deal, as Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers in the split legislature were unable to reach a compromise — or did not want to touch the contentious issues until after they are up for election in November, sidelining some of Shapiro’s top budget priorities.
Here’s a look at what is in — and what was left out of — the 2026-27 Pennsylvania state budget.
Pennsylvania took another jump toward filling a multibillion-dollar funding gap between wealthy and poor school districts, after a court found that the state’s old system of funding education was unconstitutional. Since 2024, when the state first implemented new adequacy and tax equity formulas in efforts to fill the $4.5 billion“adequacy gap,” lawmakers have put nearly $1.9 billion toward funding lower-income districts, with plans to fill it by 2032.
“It keeps our promise to our school districts,” said State Rep. Jordan Harris (D., Philadelphia), who serves on the powerful appropriations committee responsible for allocating state dollars, in remarks on the House floor Sunday.
The latest installment of adequacy and tax equity payments — $565 million — will largely go to low-income districts that already have high property taxes. The Philadelphia School District, Pennsylvania’s largest district and the only one in the state that is unable to raise its own revenue, will get $136 million of that funding increase.
Out: Revenue generators
Shapiro proposed generating new revenue streams to help the state fix its multibillion-dollar structural deficit in his last four budget addresses. But the ways he wants to raise that cash have drawn resistance from Senate Republicans, who argue they are not policies that will improve the state’s economic standing — or cannot reach agreement within their caucus on how to address the issues.
Shapiro this year did not get the hefty minimum wage increase he asked for, seeking to raise the hourly rate from $7.25 to $15 — and counting on the higher wage for $80 million in higher income tax revenues. Nor was he able to get the General Assembly, where Democrats control the House and Republicans lead the Senate, to approve adult-use cannabis, which his office estimated would bring in $729.4 million in its first year, largely through licensing. (House Democrats have approved plans for a minimum wage increase and recreational marijuana legalization, but the Senate has not voted on the bills.)
Screen shows skill games and cannabis regulation and reform as Gov. Josh Shapiro makes his annual budget proposal in the state House chamber in Harrisburg Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Shapiro, in his February budget proposal, also called on the General Assembly to regulate and tax skill games at the same rate as casinos, a move that he has estimated could generate nearly $800 million in revenue in its first year. But any regulation of skill games — slot machine look-alikes that the state Supreme Court ruled last month are a form of gambling — was left out of the budget.
Lawmakers have until October to decide whether skill games will be taxed and regulated, under a grace period in the high court’s ruling. Otherwise, the devices found in many corner stores, gas stations, and bars will become illegal gambling machines. The issue has been the target of more than $8 million in lobbying and $9 million in campaign spending in Harrisburg, mostly funded by one company.
State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) during a press conference at the Capitol in Harrisburg Feb. 3, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
“We can act within the 120 days; we can act after the 120 days,” Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) said Sunday. “But the choice is now quite simple. These machines are illegal, and in less than 120 days, they will be leaving the marketplace.”
In: Data center reporting requirements
Data centers — which are seeing a boom in Pennsylvania as artificial intelligence usage increases and communities push back on where the centers are being built — will be required to submit information about their energy and water usage.
Beginning next summer, data centers in the state with a peak energy demand greater than 10 megawatts will be required to submit information annually to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Outlined as part of this year’s fiscal code, those reports will be publicly accessible. Data centers that do not submit information about their resource usage will be fined $10,000 a day.
A yard sign protests the proposed data center on New Elm Street near the Closed Cleveland-Cliffs steel mill photographed on Thursday, June 4, 2026 in Conshohocken, Pa.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Out: Data center regulations
A data center regulation bill, which would have limited state benefits for data center developers and was championed by Shapiro, was not included in the final budget deal. The governor called for limiting a sales and use tax exemption and expediting permitting to projects that comply with a set of transparency and environmental standards.
And several other data center regulation efforts that have received bipartisan support in recent weeks were also absent from the final spending package.
Those included efforts to repeal the sales tax exemption afforded to data center developers and attempts to enact a local or statewide moratorium on new data center development.
Both chambers passed language repealing the tax exemption and advanced differing bills to freeze development. One Democratic-sponsored bill would have given municipalities the option to implement a 180-day moratorium on new centers. The other, a Republican-sponsored measure, would allow for local moratoriums of up to 18 months.
In: Compromise
Compromise was the word of the day around the Capitol on Sunday, when the legislature swiftly passed the more than 600-page budget deal hashed out behind closed doors by Shapiro, Pittman, and House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) and passed with bipartisan support in both chambers.
The legislative leaders and Shapiro emphasized that they did not get exactly what they wanted in the budget, as a symptom of dealing with divided government. And leaders were proud to have reached the deal less than two weeks after their July 1 deadline, rather than the nearly five months it took to hash out an agreement last year.
House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) speaks on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Lawmakers had agreed to work over the weekend to hurriedly approve the budget deal, with members of the Senate coming in on Saturday night to begin advancing parts of the budget deal and the House joining them Sunday afternoon. By 6:15 p.m. Sunday, Shapiro had signed it.
Among the inspirations for the weekend of productivity, Bradford said: making it to the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia, for which he had tickets.
Out: Typical budget math
Leaders returned to some old accounting maneuvers to address the state’s multibillion-dollar structural deficit and avoid pulling from the state’s emergency savings account.
They spent down unused and underused dedicated funds, and rolled some of the state’s Medicaid payments totaling $1.3 billion to the next fiscal year, a move lawmakers typically resorted to before the state saw an influx of federal dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without those delayed payments, the state budget would total closer to $52.1 billion, and several GOP members criticized the total as being disingenuous.
Public school teachers and other state employees who retired before July 1, 2002, will receive a tiered monthly payment based on the date of their retirement. Similarly, police officers and firefighters who retired more than five years ago will receive monthly payments ranging from $50 to $300, depending on how long they have been retired.
Lawmakers from both parties had called for the cost-of-living increase.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker had asked the General Assembly to close it as part of her own city budget pitch in a move estimated to bring an additional $1.5 million to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is cheered by members of Philadelphia City Council at conclusion of her budget address, Thursday, March 12, 2026.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Out: Banning cell phones in schools
Twenty-nine states have bell-to-bell cell phone bans. This year, Pennsylvania will not join them, despite the passage of two separate phone ban bills — one in each chamber of the legislature.
In: Mandatory recess for students K-5
Recess is now law in Pennsylvania.
Another education policy change championed by Shapiro, a mandatory, 30-minute recess for students in kindergarten through fifth grade was established in this year’s budget as a way to improve learning outcomes.
Out: Addressing looming problems — with looming deadlines
Several Pennsylvania funding issues that have gone years without being addressed were left out of the latest budget, some with more pressing deadlines than others.
Lawmakers did not address a need for mass transit funding — which led to last year’s bitter budget stalemate among legislators — but are expected to identify a long-term funding stream for the transit agencies next year when a two-year fail-safe runs out.
Senator Nikil Saval, speaks at a press conference calling for more SEPTA funding from the state at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pa., on Friday, June 26, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Other local governments and service providers said their needs are more pressing.
The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania released an urgent plea after the state budget was signed, noting that counties still have not received the critical mental health funding they need, or a surcharge increase used to fund 911 call systems. Home-health service providers also continued their calls for increased state funding they say is needed, as the industry faces serious staffing issues due to low state reimbursement rates.
Republican and Democratic lawmakers championed the organizations in this budget, making it the largest single-year increase for the critical services in state history, according to the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect.
“Today marks a turning point for survivors and rape crisis centers across Pennsylvania,” said Joyce Lukima, the organization’s coalition director, in a news release.
Ethan Young is an intern with the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association.
When a violent microburst storm slammed into Narberth on Saturday, it brought down a 120-year-old Sycamore tree onto a home in the historic Narbrook Park neighborhood.
The fire department in the surrounding Lower Merion Township responded to 98 incidents over the weekend, making numerous water rescues.
And residents are still grappling with the aftermath of a violent storm shaking their communities.
Communities in Montgomery County, along with other spots in the Philadelphia region, suffered vast amounts of damage Saturday afternoon as microburst storms ripped through the area.
A microburst is a highly-localized column of sinking air during a thunderstorm that can produce strong winds and extensive damage and, in some instances, can be life-threatening, according to the National Weather Service.
Peco has continued to restore power to affected households, as of roughly 5:30 p.m. Monday, with 119 outages affecting a little more than 1,500 customers.
Narberth Council Vice President Cyndi Rickards said the skies went from clear to stormy in just a matter of minutes Saturday before a microburst ripped through the Montgomery County community.
Then, just as quickly as it arrived, came the downed trees, power lines, flooding, and power outages.
It was something Rickards, a more than 20-year resident of the community, had never seen before.
“It became apparent that nearly every street in Narberth had a tree down, a substantial tree on a car,” Rickards said. “I believe we had two that fell on or near houses. Many that narrowly missed houses.”
One of those near misses happened at Hugh Parker’s residence while he was spending time with relatives down the Shore. Once he and his family heard about the 40-foot tree knocked down in their front yard — covering their driveway and the car of his wife, Grace, they rushed home.
Their basement had also been flooded and the family’s newly reconnected power lines started a fire, which eventually went out on its own.
Hugh and Grace Parker continue the cleanup in the basement of their Narberth home Monday, July 13, 2026, following the weekend’s storm. They weren’t home so don’t know why it flooded, as the house had not had any water enter since it was built in the 1990s. They also had a tree fall in front, crushing one of their cars.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Rickards described the local government’s response to the storm as “such a comprehensive disaster response for a small little borough,” adding that Jeff Eldon, the public works director, closed down any streets where he suspected downed wires or trees.
Narberth Mayor Dana Edwards also declared a state of emergency, which has since been lifted, and has facilitated a spot at the borough hall where residents can cool off and charge their devices. He also indicated that the borough had “great support” from Peco.
“It was really everything we could do just to keep everybody as comfortable as possible,” Edwards said.
In the surrounding Lower Merion Township, commissioner Ray Courtney reported similar issues as Narberth’s, especially when it came to old trees that were toppled by the storm.
A pickup truck is left crushed Monday, July 13, 2026, after the tree that fell on it had been cleared as the cleanup continued following the weekend’s microbursts that ripped through parts of the city and Montgomery County, downing trees and power lines and causing outages and road closures. This was along Wynnewood Avenue by the baseball fields in Narberth.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
When the storm was over, the public works department closed the roads, some of which continued into Sunday morning, said Courtney, who represents parts of Ardmore and Wynnewood. As of Sunday night, crews had cleared 59 downed trees and there were 38 remaining.
For local officials, the episode also underscored a need for further discussions regarding improving local infrastructure and resources for extreme weather events.
Many communities, like Narberth and Ardmore, for instance, have historic infrastructure that cannot always handle aggressive storms.
“I think this is the reality of storms now,” Courtney said. “They are hard, they are intense, and they dump a lot of precipitation in a short period of time, and all local governments, and our state and federal government, need to be thinking about improvements to our infrastructure, and the resiliency against this kind of weather event.”
In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s storm, residents — especially those whose property has been damaged — are hoping for incremental improvements.
Utility workers restore power on Beacom Lane in Merion Station, Monday, July 13, 2026, as cleanup continues following the weekend’s microbursts that ripped through parts of the city and Montgomery County, downing trees and power lines and causing outages and road closures.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
A neighbor’s tree fell on the roof of Robert Hilton’s home on Merion Avenue. Water started dripping into his second-floor bedroom and the carpet remained soaked.
“I’ve lived here for 41 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Hilton.
The fallen tree, Hilton says, had been a concern for more than 20 years. It was old, unhealthy, and situated at the top of a bank, making it prone to structural instability. The microburst was the final piece of the puzzle, and the uprooted trunk now lays tangled with power lines in the middle of the street.
Hilton lost power during Saturday’s storm, but it was reconnected on Monday at 2:30 p.m. “It’s baby steps,” he said. “That’s all we can hope for.”
Hundreds of trees fell in Philadelphia within a matter of minutes during a weekend storm that left a narrow but destructive band of what one official called “unprecedented” damage in its wake in the region.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Parks and Recreation commissioner Susan Slawson said. “We’ve never seen a 15 and 20 minute storm come through an isolated area and take down that many trees.”
Those downed trees came following a series of four “microbursts,” which brought wind gusts traveling 60 to 70 mph. Those isolated instances of high winds primarily impacted parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
Microbursts, the National Weather Service said, happen when a thunderstorm experiences a rapid increase in updraft. When that updraft stops, the mass of the storm system comes crashing back down, resulting in severe winds that sent trees tumbling into homes and vehicles, damaged public parks, and left neighborhoods grappling with cleanup efforts days later.
Slawson’s department, which handles downed trees in the city, had responded to at least 340 emergency requests as of Monday afternoon, and inspected about 220 trees. The hardest hit areas, she added, were in South Philadelphia, Wynnefield, and Southwest Philadelphia.
The harsh winter’s heavy caps of ice and snow that lasted for weeks likely left some trees weakened or damaged, Slawson said, making them more vulnerable to being toppled. Those that fell were being taken to the city’s Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center in West Fairmount Park.
Evidence of the damage was apparent around the region Monday. In Malcolm X Park in West Philadelphia, piles of giant fallen trees, cut into large chunks, sat waiting for disposal. And nearby on Spruce Street, a downed tree blocked a busy two-way road between 53rd and 54th Streets, its corpse resting atop a crushed red pickup truck.
“They need to cut these trees down, they’re too tall,” said Schonder Pickney, 61, who lives across the street from the wreckage. She and her neighbors had asked the city to remove some of the old trees that appeared dangerous, but she said nothing came from it.
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation workers throw debris into an auxiliary chipper at Wharton Square Playground in Point Breeze, on
Monday.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer
Private tree management companies, like Rapid Tree Care in Grays Ferry, were inundated with service requests following the storm. Caleb Coome, the company’s founder, said that the storm’s intensity knocked down large trees across densely populated city blocks, and across multiple homes.
“It’s definitely unprecedented in terms of the amount of volume over a couple-day span,” said Coome, whose company has been in operations for three years.
Homeowners impacted by fallen trees, he said, were largely concentrated near FDR Park and the stadiums in South Philly, as well as the Cobbs Creek and Cedar Park neighborhoods in West Philly. Homeowners face logistical and financial hurdles for cleanup, as much of the damage occurred in areas with tight rowhouses.
In those tight quarters, a single fallen tree can span up to six properties, creating liability issues and disputes among neighbors over who is responsible for removal costs. A downed tree spanning multiple properties must be removed all at once, rather than limb-by-limb, for safety reasons, Coome said.
Some parts of the suburbs also saw shared tree damage. For example, in Narberth, Hugh Parker and his family hurried home from the Shore Saturday after they heard from neighbors that a 40-foot tree had been knocked down in their front yard.
Hugh and Grace Parker continue the cleanup in the basement of their Narberth home Monday. It flooded during weekend’s storm.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Located on their neighbor’s property, the tree landed to cover their driveway, as well as a car belonging to Parker’s wife, Grace. As it came down, the tree’s canopy also took down power lines and blocked the street, and the damage it did to the vehicle remained unclear Monday.
A day later, Peco reconnected their power, which Parker said had been out for a little more than 24 hours. Then, he smelled smoke, thanks to a power line that started a fire after power had been restored. After about 30 minutes, the fire went out, but no one from the utility had come to check the power lines as of Monday morning.
“It was like something from a movie scene — there were sparks flying 10 to 15 feet in the air,” said Parker.
In Lower Merion Township, the local fire department responded to 98 incidents over the weekend, including numerous water rescues. Montgomery County communities were some of the hardest hit.
“It became apparent that nearly every street in Narberth had a tree down, a substantial tree on a car,” said Narberth Council Vice President Cyndi Rickards said.
The episode also highlights what many local officials have said is a need to further discuss improving local infrastructure and resources for extreme weather events.
“I think this is the reality of storms now,” said Lower Merion Commissioner Ray Courtney. “They are hard, they are intense, and they dump a lot of precipitation in a short period of time, and all local governments, and our state and federal government, need to be thinking about improvements to our infrastructure, and the resiliency against this kind of weather event.”
In addition to downed trees in the area, roughly 1,500 Peco customers remained without power across 119 reported outages as of late Monday afternoon. That number is down significantly from the height of the storm, when some 60,000 customers experienced extended outages. Overall, 105,000 Peco customers experienced some loss of power during the course of the storm, the company said.
Power for all customers in the region, Peco added, was expected to be restored by 11 p.m. Monday.
Among those impacted were West Philadelphia resident Lisa Phillips, who lives on the 5100 block of Hazel Avenue. A tree on her block went down Saturday, taking power lines with it. Electrical workers arrived Monday to take care of the downed lines, but she was still waiting for the city to clear the tree from her street.
“Never in my life have I experienced anything like this,” she said.
Staff writers Isabel Maney, Olivia Prusky, and Fallon Roth contributed to this article.
Jay Wright is headed to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
On Monday, it was announced that the longtime Villanova coach would be inducted as a part of the Hall’s 2026 class. Wright led Villanova for 21 seasons from 2001 to 2022. In that span, the Wildcats made four Final Four appearances and won NCAA titles in 2016 and 2018.
Wright, who had a career record of 642–282 (.695), including a seven-year stint at Hofstra (1994-2001), is widely considered to be the main force behind Villanova becoming a consistent national brand in college basketball. He is already a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2021.
“The Class of 2026 represents the very best of college basketball — individuals whose performance, leadership, and impact helped shape the game at the highest level,” Hall of Fame CEO Kevin Henderson said in a statement. “Their legacies will forever be preserved as part of the sport’s rich history.”
Five other selectees make up the Hall’s incoming class: UCLA coach Walt Hazzard from Overbrook High School, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, Kansas coach Ted Owens, Michigan star Glen Rice, and BYU standout Danny Ainge.
The induction will take place Oct. 22 in Kansas City, Mo., where the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is located.
Patrons of Sarcone’s Bakery — the 108-year-old South Philadelphia staple — are accustomed to seeing familiar faces behind the counter. On Monday, guests were served by a new member of the Sarcone’s family: Chase Utley.
The Phillies legend helped serve tomato pie to fans lined up around the corner as part of the bakery’s partnership with sports apparel company ’47. The two companies teamed up to host an exclusive pop-up inside the bakery. Guests who purchased food received an exclusive Sarcone’s T-shirt and hat, produced by ’47.
They also got a chance to meet Utley, which was the main reason many fans flocked to South Philadelphia. Utley was scheduled to appear for one hour, from noon to 1 p.m. However, after seeing the length of the line, he opted to stick around for an additional half hour.
The event will continue on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Utley will not attend the second time around. The MLB All-Star Game takes place shortly after at Citizens Bank Park (FOX, 8 p.m.).
After Utley finished up behind Sarcone’s counter, The Inquirer caught up with the former Phil:
Q: We’re at Sarcone’s today. You just got done serving some fans, meeting some fans. Could you tell me a little about that experience?
It’s good to be back in Philadelphia in a historic place like Sarcone’s. It just brings back so many different memories. Interacting with all the fans, talking about some old times, some stories we had over the years was fantastic. I’m happy that Sarcone’s had me out here.
Once or twice a month I’d roll through this area, stop at Sarcone’s [Deli], and grab a pie or a cheesesteak. There was a certain point we would order a bunch for the clubhouse. They’ve done such a good job. The store has been here over 100 years, which is so unbelievable. They run a good ship.
Chase Utley interacts with fan Jess DeStefano during his Monday shift at Sarcone’s Bakery.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Q: You starred alongside Mike Schmidt in a hype video released for the All-Star game by the Phillies. Could you tell me about that process?
I mean the city of Philadelphia has treated me so well over the years and being a part of that video with the Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt — best Phillie of all time — was just an honor. I’m humbled to do that. It turned out fantastic.
Q: You were a six-time All-Star yourself. Could you touch on what the honor meant to you, especially early in your career?
It’s a bit of a surreal experience to be honest with you. For that very first All-Star selection, all of a sudden now you’re in a locker room, in a clubhouse with guys that you idolize. And now you can sit next to them and pick their brain and just kind of learn what got them there. At the end of the day, it helps improve your game.
Q: Did you have any time to watch your former teammates — Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino — play in yesterday’s MLBx event?
I’ve seen some highlights and some lowlights. But yeah, I talked to Ryan this morning. He said they had had a blast. So good for them. They represented the Phillies pretty well.
Q: Do you think you could still go out there and hit?
I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe, but maybe not.
Q: You lived in London for four years. Did you become a soccer fan? Are you rooting for England in the World Cup?
We definitely picked up soccer. So I became a soccer fan by being over there. And I mean four amazing teams [are left]. Who knows what’s going to happen? I’m just a fan of the sport in general.
Fans lined up for blocks to see Chase Utley at Sarcone’s. Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Q: You played under Don Mattingly with the Dodgers. What can you tell me about Mattingly, and what can you say about his success so far after stepping in for the Phillies?
The Phillies got, I mean, they got off to a rough start, and now some pieces are starting to come together, and they’re playing fantastic baseball. Baseball that we all know that they can play. I played for Don, great human being, obviously amazing player. I think players respect the fact that he had an amazing career.
Q: You recently were hired by the Dodgers as the team’s special assistant to the president of baseball operations. How that’s going so far?
I finished my career in Los Angeles. I live in Los Angeles, and I wanted to still be around baseball, but still be around my family and not travel too much. So it made sense just to get under their hood a little bit and understand what they’re doing. I get to sleep in my bed every single night; it’s a fantastic organization. I love Philadelphia and the Phillies organization. If I lived in Philadelphia, I would do the same thing.
Q: Between the World Cup and MLB All-Star Week, there has been a lot of excitement around Philadelphia. What’s that been like to witness?
This city is incredible. The fact that the World Cup was here and now the All-Star Game. It’s been a busy, busy, busy summer, and I hope it continues.
While baseball’s biggest stars prepare to take the field at Citizens Bank Park for the MLB All-Star Game Tuesday, the next generation of baseball talent delivered its own unforgettable moment Monday.
The Texas Rangers Youth Academy came back from a five-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning with Braylon Hubbard’s walk-off hit lifting the Rangers to a 10-9 victory over the Compton Youth Academy in the championship game of the 2026 Commissioner’s Cup at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Rangers trailed 9-4 entering their last at-bat when senior director Juan Garciga challenged his team to believe a comeback was possible. The energy was low, he said, so he had all the players stand on the top step of the dugout.
“I told them I was incredibly proud of them, but I also said ‘Man, wouldn’t it be something if we scored six runs here,’ and then I walked away,” Garciga said.
Players from the Compton Youth Academy and the Texas Rangers Youth Academy play during the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game at Tommy Lasorda Field on Monday.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer
The Rangers did score six runs. For Garciga, winning the game was special, but giving these athletes the experience of coming to Philadelphia during All-Star Weekend and being guests of MLB was the real success.
“For us it is about developing major league citizens,” Garciga said. “Our program is at no cost to the families. We have nothing to gain from wins and losses; all we care about is the success and development of these kids. We want to see them become good people and teach them how to overcome adversity.”
The Commissioner’s Cup brings together 17-and-under teams from the MLB Youth Academies across the country, including Puerto Rico. The academies, which began with the opening of the Compton Youth Academy 20 years ago, are designed to grow baseball and softball while creating opportunities for young athletes in underserved communities. There are now 10 academies across the United States.
The trip to Philadelphia was just as memorable as the baseball for many of the players. It was the first visit to the city for many of the Rangers players, who took in the skyline, experienced the excitement of All-Star week, and had their first Philly cheesesteak at the ballpark.
“The MLB took the funds out and took the time to give us this great experience for every single player here,” Hubbard said. “They gave us the opportunity to create new bonds, make new friends and eat great food.”
Players from the other youth academies who did not advance to the final game filled the stands Monday, cheering for both teams throughout the game.
“The academies as a whole are for people who don’t get many opportunities like other people,” Rangers player Vincent Hood said. “So to come out here and win, it’s not only a step forward for us, but a step forward for the program and people in our area who might not have many opportunities.”
The Compton Youth Academy team before the start of the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game at Tommy Lasorda Field on Monday.Allie Ippolito / For The Inquirer
The academy has also created lifelong friendships for these players. Arthur Darensburg, who joined the Rangers program last year, said he immediately felt welcomed.
“My first year was last year, and I didn’t know anybody,” Darensburg said. “For them to bring me in as a brother and create this bond is special.”
The Rangers will leave Philadelphia with their second trophy, having also won in 2024.
“Some of these guys have been at the academy since they were 12 years old and have grown there,” Garciga said. “The fact that this group gets to have this big crescendo of a moment in such dramatic fashion is just so special.”
Delaware became the seventh state to name a surgeon general with the appointment Monday of a physician to serve as the state’s “principal public health communicator” and advise Gov. Matt Meyer on health matters.
Neil Hockstein, an otolaryngologist who chairs Delaware’s Health Care Commission, will helm public health measures.
Meyer, a Democrat, said the appointment grew out of state government efforts to reassure residents after a chaotic period for U.S. public health, with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist, leading federal health agencies under President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We live in a time where the information coming from the federal government is not evidence-driven. It’s not fact-based,” he said.
Last year, Delaware joined Pennsylvania and other Northeastern states in a public health coalition to surveil infectious diseases and promote vaccination, joining several states also launching their own public health initiatives in response to the federal changes.
“Traditionally, we’ve been able to rely on the federal government for environmental protection, for food assistance, for reliable health and weather information,” Meyer said. “Now there’s a lot of loss of trust, and in so many ways we’re saying, ‘How can states pick up the mantle?’”
Pennsylvania has a physician general, a similar position. New Jersey does not have a surgeon general.
The Delaware Healthcare Association, which represents the state’s hospitals and health systems, called Hockstein an “invaluable, unrelating advocate” and applauded the creation of the position.
Delaware’s surgeon general will report to Secretary of Health Christen Linke Young, who said the position will help reach residents not already receiving services through her department.
“His job, really, is to think about the whole [public health] ecosystem and to speak to people in a way that is broader than the particular clients who receive particular services from us,” she said.
Republican State Sen. Eric Buckson, who represents parts of Kent County, said the state “already has everyone in place to make sure that the state of Delaware is getting the information it needs to make the best decisions.”
“Do we need this position generated on the premise the current administration is going to somehow mislead Delaware?” he said, adding that he believes Kennedy has “done an excellent job of provoking a conversation.”
A new surgeon general’s focus
Hockstein plans to prioritize “foundational” public health initiatives such as promoting vaccination and ensuring access to clean water and food, along with issues like adequate access to healthcare, especially among older residents.
“More people will die because they have inadequate access to healthcare in Delaware than will die of measles, mumps, or rubella this year,” he said, citing infectious diseases now rising as vaccine rates have declined.
Hockstein said he sees his role as twofold: communicating about health initiatives with the public while supporting healthcare workers.
“They’re hurting right now, and I think having a voice that understands what they do on a daily basis and the threats that they’re feeling is important.”
He said he still plans to see patients for about eight hours a week.
Meyer said he also wants Hockstein to focus on adolescent mental health, partnering with local school districts to raise awareness about the issue.
“It really needs to be attacked with a public health mindset,” he said. “We have an epidemic of loneliness. We have children who know how to interact with their phones and with video games, but not with each other.”
