For Ruben Amaro Jr., a low-key return to Phils ballpark
The former GM, now a Red Sox coach, expected a rougher greeting in his first trip back.
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.
"It means a lot to me to be back here," Amaro said. "I'm not going to play it off like it's nothing to me. This was an important part of my life. This was my whole life for 50 years."
Amaro's firing came as no surprise in 2015, but his move from the front office to a different team's coaching staff did. But the new role in Boston suits Amaro, who enjoys his position on the field. Coaching allows him to work hands-on with players and coaches, something that was missing during his front office days.
Most important, the role keeps Amaro in the game.
"I love baseball," Amaro said. "That's my life and . . . I want to stay in baseball. This has been one of the more fun times in my career, being back down on the field."
Amaro was expecting a different welcome, louder and filled with vitriol, to match the tone of the fans who clamored for his exit from the team. But despite the way he left, Amaro remains attached to the Phillies, following the team and monitoring the minor-league players he drafted years ago.
Before his dismissal, Amaro began a rebuilding project in 2014 featuring many of the players in the team's current roster. Although that process didn't move as quickly as he believes fans wanted, Amaro believes that the team will see a rise in coming seasons. It's a transition he wanted to see in his time.
"I wish I had a chance to get it all the way turned around, but I understand why I didn't," Amaro said. "In Philadelphia, that's what happens. You're under a great deal of scrutiny."
Some parts of Wednesday felt odd for Amaro, such as sitting for the first time in the visitors' dugout facing right field. Yet as he greeted friends from a front office that 'still feels like family,' most of the night felt like coming home.