PHILADELPHIA -- When fans trickled into Citizens Bank Park on Monday, they were not treated to the home run display of batting practice. The Phillies and Nationals were instead hidden from view, waiting out the misty evening in the batting cages underneath the ballpark. Players couldn't have taken BP even if they wanted to, because the grounds crew was trying something new to prepare the field for the evening's 7:05 p.m. ET game.
With propane tanks in wheelbarrows, those who usually do their work with a rake were blowtorching the infield dirt. It started with three blowtorches near first base.