Here’s why ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ was at the Phillies game

Ellen DeGeneres this week sent her team to Citizens Bank Park, where they gave away a Chevy Blazer to one lucky Phillies fan with some help from former Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos and current Phillie Rhys Hoskins.

For the Philly visit, host sent out Ellen DeGeneres Show correspondent Jeannie Klisiewicz, who was joined by show regular Dorenbos. Together, the pair welcomed Phillies first baseman Hoskins, who previously appeared on an episode of the show last season, where he tried — and failed — to stuff a dollar into the waistband of a male gogo dancer.

To make up for the miss, Hoskins gave a dollar to Dorenbos to give to DeGeneres. For extra security, he also had a Phillies jersey bearing DeGeneres’ name, as well as the number 16 in order to celebrate the show’s 16th season.

“I’m really hoping that maybe I’ll be your favorite baseball player now,” Hoskins said. DeGeneres threw him a bone, saying that Hoskins is her favorite player “right now.”

From there, the group moved onto a game that would determine the winner of a new Chevy Blazer. Dubbed “Not Blindfolded Musical Chairs,” the game essentially was a baseball-themed version of musical chairs that had 10 contestants grabbing at baseballs rather than running for seats. As an added Philly bonus, the music featured was Boyz II Men’s “Motownphilly.”

Bad weather in Philly, however, caused the game to be a little hurried.

“There’s a tornado warning and we’re going to hurry up and play this game before everyone dances a lot faster,” DeGeneres said.

Ultimately, the Blazer went to contestant Kate Potter, who snatched away the final ball from another contestant for the win.

The show’s visit to Philly came amid news breaking that host DeGeneres was molested by her stepfather as a teenager. DeGeneres discussed the incident in an appearance on Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.

As DeGeneres said, her stepfather sexually assaulted her when she was “15 or 16” in incidents in which he felt her breasts under the guise of checking them for lumps while her mother, Betty, was out of town. DeGeneres’ mother herself had a breast removed due to a cancer diagnosis.

“I didn’t want to tell my mother because I was protecting her, and I knew that that would run her happiness, and she was happy with him even though he was a horrible man,” DeGeneres said. “I should never have protected her. I should have protected myself.”

Ultimately, when DeGeneres did tell her mother about the assault, her mother did not believe her, and stayed with DeGeneres’ stepfather “for 18 more years.” DeGeneres mother has since addressed the molestation, telling the Today show that she wishes she “had the capacity to listen” to her daughter.

“I live with that regret, and I wouldn’t want that for any other parent,” Betty said on Today. “If someone in your life has the courage to speak out, please believe them.”