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– Metro US

PHILADELPHIA. In preparation for the heated series that begins Friday night at Citizens Bank Park against the Mets, stadium security officials and city police say they’re ready for fans coming down the Turnpike from New York — and the always “friendly” welcome they get from Phillies fans.

“We’re gonna have 45,000 here each night. Everybody in the ballpark is energized. This is our rival,” ballpark operations/security manager Sal DeAngelis said. “But we have several ways to deter problems. We have our own security and we hire Philly police and if people do get out of hand, we can be there very quickly.”

Of course, with the Phillies selling out 51 straight games including this weekend’s series, every game has them on high alert.

Arguments between Phillies and Mets fans can be a bit more spirited, however and the stadium’s security hopes that its new text messaging alert system can help keep any beer-fueled arguments from turning into beer-fueled brawls. And if they can prevent another “Pukemon” incident — when 21-year-old Matthew Clemmons allegedly purposely vomited on a police officer’s daughter — all the better.

“If a fan encounters an issue in the stands whether its medical, security or a cleaning issue, they can now discretely text to our game day staff and immediately get a response on how we’re going to handle it,” DeAngelis said.