The Philadelphia Phillies entered Opening Day with a roster that’s nearly identical to last season’s team. Changes may be on the horizon next winter, but Bryce Harper and Co. will have one last chance to get it right in 2025.
The continuity has proven to be valuable during the regular season, as the Phillies have won more games each year since 2022. But in the postseason, there’s been the opposite effect: Philadelphia’s playoff runs have gotten shorter each season, ending with losses in the World Series, the National League Championship Series and then the divisional round last year.
Philadelphia’s quest to make the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season began on Opening Day with a road matchup against the Washington Nationals. Through the early innings, the Phillies seemed to have carried over their offensive struggles from last year.
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Late-game heroics saved the Phillies from record-setting strikeouts
The Phillies sent the minimum of 18 batters to the plate over six innings. Of those, 13 struck out against Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore. After just six innings, the Phillies were already two strikeouts away from tying their opening-day record of 15, which they set last year.
Kyle Schwarber — Philadelphia’s only baserunner over that stretch — hit a single in the second inning but was caught stealing second base. Only two balls left the infield. The Nationals brought in pitcher Lucas Sims to replace Gore in the top of the seventh inning, and Bryce Harper connected for the Phillies’ first home run of the season to tie up the game. Washington made another pitching change and brought in Jose A. Ferrer, but Schwarber immediately hit a home run to right center field to give Philadelphia their first lead.
The Phillies eventually took control, building a 7-3 lead in the 10th inning with a two-run base hit from Alec Bohm and a triple from J.T. Realmuto. Though the late-game heroics may overshadow the club’s early struggles, the Phillies’ rough start is still worrisome.
Four runs in the 10th inning allowed Philadelphia to clinch a win, but Gore set a franchise record for the Nationals with 13 strikeouts. The Phillies’ hitters combined for 19 strikeouts, surpassing the franchise record for most opening-day strikeouts and tying their all-time record which was set during a 7-0 loss against the New York Mets in 1991, per The Inquirer.