Kalas' three sons simultaneously threw out the first pitch to Phillies legends Mike Schmidt and John Kruk and to current star Jimmy Rollins. There was a moment of silence, and then Kane Kalas delivered a powerful rendition of the national anthem.
It was a perfect evening for a ball game, with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s.
Some fans sported Kalas memorial T-shirts and caps with "HK" in black letters. At least one man had "HK" painted on his face.
Judy Alessi, 48, of Bellmawr, wore a Kalas shirt she bought a few blocks from the stadium. It read: "That baby's outaaaa here!"
Alessi's father, a 42-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, spent his last 20 years working as a traffic officer at the sports complex.
She recalled that for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary, a nurse working for the Phillies got them a baseball autographed by Kalas.
She didn't get to meet Kalas, but she felt she knew him.
"It's his voice, his friendliness," she said.
Cliff Martin, 50, of Springfield, Delaware County, said the news of Kalas' death was "like a punch in the gut, like one of your favorite family members passing away."
Last night, however, was a time to celebrate Kalas, he said.
He had one gripe.
When Chase Utley hit the first home run of the game, Martin said, he expected to hear a recording of Kalas declaring it "outta here."
"No one in our section heard it," he said.
"Turn it up," he demanded.
Before the game, hundreds of fans paid their respects to Kalas at a makeshift shrine at the statue of Schmidt outside the ballpark.
The base of the shrine was covered with signed caps, T-shirts, and balls. There were stuffed animals as well as beer cans and bottles. A framed portrait of Frank Sinatra had the lyric associated with Kalas, " 'Cause he had high hopes."
