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SALT LAKE CITY — Brett Phillips doesn't remember too much from his first trip to Smith's Ballpark in 2017.
You can forgive him for forgetting it. He's had many baseball moments since then, playing for five major league teams, most notably collecting a walk-off hit to help the Tampa Bay Rays win Game 4 of the 2020 World Series.
But Phillips, then an up-and-coming prospect for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, was sitting in a visitor's dugout during the top of the seventh inning when a power surge caused the lights to go out, forcing a 20-minute delay. While most of the players headed back to the two clubhouses, he walked over to the stands and began throwing out bubble gum to kids in the crowd.
Though he doesn't remember this, he's quick to admit that it does sound like something he would do.
"Obviously, the fans have spent their hard-earned money to come watch us play baseball and entertain them — and something out of control kind of puts a stop to the game. For me, it's making sure that the fans are entertained," he said, standing in the stadium's outfield Friday. "If I can throw gum into the stands and have a little fun until the lights come back on, it's just what we do."
That's because Phillips is sort of known as baseball's unofficial fun ambassador, even founding a brand called Baseball is Fun to match a phrase he said moments after that crucial World Series hit. Sports Illustrated once dubbed him the "happiest man in baseball," and he's amassed quite a fan following through his loose and carefree spirit on the field.
He doesn't want to be misconstrued. He very much takes his craft and the game of baseball seriously; it's just that his career journey has given him a different perspective on the game that he doesn't want to take for granted. It's a perspective of the game that's helped him through call-ups, demotions, trades and all the other challenges of a brutal 162-game major league season.
In this case, he's in Utah after the Los Angeles Angels outrighted him to the Salt Lake Bees on May 24.
"I have a high school diploma. I am blessed to be playing a kid's game for a living," he said. "I think about other things I could be doing and I know that there are a lot of people in my life who give me confidence and encourage me through the times of failure of this game — but still reminding me, 'Hey, this is just a game.' So there has always been a joy of showing up and putting baseball pants on — just like when I was a kid."
This mantra is something that he's brought over to the Salt Lake Bees clubhouse since he was lifted from the Angels' 40-man roster. Bees first baseman and outfielder Trey Cabbage said Phillips has been a "positive influence" with his upbeat personality.
"The fact that this game is so tough, having someone there who is always bouncing back, always full of energy and everything like that, it just keeps us going," Cabbage said. "It's huge."
I remember what it feels like to be these kids' age and just wanting to meet a professional baseball player ... and now that I've been blessed with the platform to be able to do that for these kids, show them that 'Hey, I can do that one day.' This is what it's all about.
–Salt Lake Bees outfielder Brett Phillips
It's also something that Phillips is trying to carry over to the future of the game, either through his brand or other ways. The intent behind Baseball is Fun is to remind parents and children that baseball is a game meant to be enjoyed, especially at the youth levels because there are too many parents putting "too much pressure" on trying to make a 10-year-old the next big league superstar, he said.
At the same time, Bees staff members were quick to point out that Phillips was also the first player to sign up and volunteer at the team's Play Ball Weekend festivities, an MLB-led initiative that brought about 500 children out to the ballpark Friday morning. There, he spent two hours in the outfield teaching children learn the fundamentals of fielding and throwing a ball, offering encouragement after each and every throw.
For him, it all goes back to his perspective of the game.
"This game isn't a game without the fans and without these kids and youth aspiring to be us one day," he said. "I remember what it feels like to be these kids' age and just wanting to meet a professional baseball player ... and now that I've been blessed with the platform to be able to do that for these kids, show them that 'Hey, I can do that one day.' This is what it's all about."
He just hopes that the game's future generations have as much fun as he's having along the way.
