A Philly special for MLB’s All-Stars: the clubhouse cheesesteak craved by visiting players
PHILADELPHIA — Inside the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, they know the stars of Major League Baseball by their cheesesteak orders. Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale wants a chicken cheesesteak with extra cheese and extra banana peppers the day after he makes a start.
“I think he eats two,” said Eric Michaels, a clubhouse attendant who is usually on the grill.
“That’s right,” John Zawislak, another clubbie, said. “He got two last time.”
When CJ Abrams arrives, they already know what the Washington Nationals shortstop wants: a chicken classic cheesesteak with extra cheese. That’s the pregame order. After every game here, Abrams will have a regular cheesesteak waiting for him.
“Some of these NL guys,” clubhouse attendant Jacob Stong said, “we’ve seen them walk through the door and we’re already on that grill.”
Wait. Two cheesesteaks every game here?
“I don’t know,” Abrams said. “The cheese is just melted perfectly. It’s good. It’s just good.”
The festivities surrounding the 96th All-Star Game — the first one at Citizens Bank Park — highlighted how well the 22-year-old ballpark has aged. Opposing players rave about the atmosphere, how it’s one of the most enjoyable places to play because the blue seats are almost always full. The fans are passionate. The competition is usually good.
But there is a not-so-secret reason many of MLB’s visiting players enjoy a trip to South Philly. The All-Stars are eating cheesesteaks this week.
“It’s good,” Kansas City Royals starter Michael Wacha said, “to have a little cheat meal every now and then.”
Every MLB team travels with at least one nutritionist, a requirement stipulated in the collective bargaining agreement. Teams spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to feed their players the highest cuisine. On the road, visiting teams are typically responsible for arranging catering. Some ballparks offer trained chefs in the visiting clubhouses.
The Phillies have a bunch of guys who know how to work a grill. Their cheesesteak is regarded as one of the best in the city, as proclaimed not just by visitors but also some local employees who have conducted their own unscientific research. The clubhouse staff, Michaels estimated, makes at least 35 cheesesteaks on a regular-season gameday. With an American League team that comes to Citizens Bank Park only every other year, that number swells to 50. Word of mouth, in this sport, is strong.
CJ Abrams gets two cheesesteaks a game every time the Nationals come to Citizens Bank Park. (Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
There is a competitive element. For years, players have offered bounties to staff members to take a run at eating as many cheesesteaks as possible during a three-game series here. That’s one thing; ballplayers love nothing more than throwing around large sums of money to coerce normal humans to do unspeakable tasks.
The regular cheesesteak orders are different. San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb has one a day whenever he’s here. That is, unless he’s pitching. What makes them so good?
“I couldn’t tell you,” Webb said. “There’s some magic in there.”
Many of the players just like the comfort of a good, made-to-order sandwich.
“That’s what makes it special for us,” Michaels said. “There are guys, without even saying hello — like, Freddie Freeman wants a chicken cheesesteak with American cheese and he’s going to put A1 sauce on it.”
“A1 sauce,” Mark Meschede, another long-time clubbie, said with a tone of disbelief.
“It’s like,” Michaels said, “‘Hi guys. How you doing? Good to see you. I’m hungry.’”
Asked about his eating habits here, Freeman, a 10-time All-Star, laughed.
“When you come to Philly, you forget about nutrition,” Freeman said. “You eat the cheesesteaks in the visiting clubhouse.”
The secret, Michaels said, is there is no secret. There is no special beef; they use the same brand (Philly’s Best Steak) that Aramark, the ballpark food service, uses. They have a daily fresh delivery of rolls from Liscio’s, a local bread institution based in New Jersey. They are willing to bend the traditional rules of cheesesteaks — toppings other than grilled onions are acceptable — and they don’t mess with Cheez Whiz. Every steak sandwich is made with American cheese, but savvy players can request provolone.
“It’s ingredients that are here, fresh every day,” Michaels said. “You tell us what you want, it’s made right in front of you, and five minutes later you’re taking it down.”
Michaels, 30, grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. He’s worked for the Phillies for 13 years. His boss, Kevin Steinhour, has run the visitors clubhouse in Philadelphia since 1992 — long before the Phillies abandoned Veterans Stadium. This is his 46th year in professional baseball; he’s a steady presence for opposing teams. And he has never understood the fascination with the clubhouse cheesesteaks, which have gained attention through various TV features and cameos on game broadcasts.
Steinhour’s job is to ensure the visiting players are comfortable. He works for the Phillies — the entire clubhouse staff does — but they want a good experience for the opposing team. It is the respectful thing to do. If that means a constant stream of cheesesteaks, so be it.
Michaels, his co-workers joke, is famous in Japan because Shohei Ohtani, unprompted, mentioned the clubhouse cheesesteaks during the 2025 postseason. A Japanese camera crew filmed Michaels making a sandwich. Then, the proprietors of a Philadelphia-themed restaurant in Tokyo, Nihonbashi Philly, traveled to Citizens Bank Park. They wanted to meet Michaels and study his craft.
“When I first started working here, I had absolutely zero skills,” Michaels said. “Could not do anything in a kitchen. And now it’s hilarious that people talk about us making food.”
Ready to take your order: From left, visiting clubhouse attendants Mark Meschede, John Zawislak, Jacob Stong, Eric Michaels and Noah Bartholomew. (Philadelphia Phillies)
Michaels is not the only one on the grill. Everyone who works in the visiting clubhouse has to learn the art. “When new people get hired, we always make the first one for them,” Michaels said. “You get to enjoy your first one. And then after that, if you want one for yourself, you gotta get on there, and you gotta figure it out.” Noah Bartholomew, the bat boy for visiting teams, is new this season. He made enough cheesesteaks for himself to know what worked and what did not. Now he’ll make cheesesteaks to send to the umpires’ locker room. (Yes, the umpires receive a delivery every day.)
Adrian Sánchez, a Venezuelan infielder whose big-league career spanned 106 games over parts of four seasons, once ate 10 1/2 cheesesteaks in a single day. That record, set in 2021, remains the standard for a player. The New York Mets ate 103 cheesesteaks on one day in 2014. Recently, some visiting nutritionists and dietitians have engaged in their own competition, which delights Michaels and the other cooks.
“Oh yeah, I want the record,” Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton said. “I don’t know if I’m going to get it; there’s quite a bit of us going for the record. But they’re delicious.”
Webb, the Giants pitcher who swears by one cheesesteak a day in Philly, orders what he has dubbed “The Diablo.” The clubhouse staff douses it in hot sauce.
“I mean, it’s so hot here that I think you sweat it out anyway,” Webb said. “You do a warm-up and play catch, and you’re drenched in sweat. You sweat it out enough.”
Paul Skenes ordered five cheesesteaks to go on the final day the Pittsburgh Pirates were at Citizens Bank Park in early July. Aaron Judge orders at least one every time the New York Yankees visit. Michaels will occasionally send one over to a Phillies player. Zack Wheeler likes it with light onions. Cristopher Sánchez wants buffalo sauce on his.
It’s a thing.
“Because they’re really, really good,” Freeman said. “And we don’t get to have them ever.”
“When you come to Philly, you forget about nutrition,” Freddie Freeman said. “You eat the cheesesteaks in the visiting clubhouse.” (Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
This week, Freeman resides in the home clubhouse because he’s on the National League team. The Phillies have a robust kitchen staff on that side, complete with two trained chefs. They prepare gourmet meals.
“I want to try their food,” Freeman said Monday afternoon. “I had some steak and rice earlier. It was really good.”
He laughed. In a week, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be at Citizens Bank Park to play the Phillies. Freeman will return to the visitors clubhouse.
“So I’ll save the cheesesteaks for then,” Freeman said. “Chicken and cheese. Can’t wait.”
— Brittany Ghiroli contributed to this report.