The crowd at Citizens Bank Park hardly reacted as Ruben Amaro Jr. took the field Wednesday night.
He shook hands and chatted with first baseman Tommy Joseph during warm-ups. Moments later, the Phanatic rushed over to hand Amaro a stuffed mascot, which he offered to a young fan in the first row. Three rows back, a man held up a sign reading, "Amaro - free fall from GM to first base."
The homecoming was bittersweet for Amaro, a former player who served as the Phillies' general manager for almost seven years. Wednesday night was his first return to the stadium in almost two years.