Audrey Clark, life-long Phillies fan, wins $1,000 on Nick Williams' homer

Game 6 of the 1980 World Series? Yeah, she was there for that.

The day Veterans Stadium closed? Yep, she saw that too.

Citizens Bank Park, playoff games, 90-win seasons, 90-loss seasons, games with her dad, Audrey Clark has been with the Phillies through good times and bad.

She was 10 years old for the infamous collapse in 1964.

On Thursday night, however, the club paid her back for her loyalty.

When Nick Williams homered to lead off the sixth inning, he made Clark the ninth $1,000 winner of the season in the Daily News Home Run Payoff Inning. The neat thing is that Clark was a fan of Williams' before the prize-winning homer.

"He's had my full attention since he came up (from triple A)," Clark said enthusiastically. "I love this kid."

The Daily News pays $1,000 for a home run hit in the Payoff inning and $10,000 for a grand slam. Contestants whose batters fail to hit a home run receive two tickets to a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. These folks won tickets on Thursday evening:

Dave Kicinski, Philadelphia
Gwendolyn Blackshear, Philadelphia
Derek Devine,  Pennsburg
Elisa Ricci,  Conshohocken
Ann Dougherty, Philadelphia

Clark, a clerical supervisor in the city controller's office, said the blood that runs through her family is Phillies' red.

One daughter, Mariel, is a huge fan; another, Angelica, played softball in the Phillies RBI program.

Then there was the day she took her son, Ed Jr., to his first game some 20 years ago.

"A foul ball caromed off the concrete below the radio booth, bounced on the seat next to him and fell right into his glove," she recalled. "He dropped his hot dog and held up his glove. He was so excited."

Ed Jr., she said, was about 5 or 6 years old at the time.

"We're just baseball people," said Clark, who will celebrate a very special 63rd birthday on Sunday. "I can't believe this. I'm ready to cry."