WASHINGTON, D.C. — Going into Opening Day, the main talking point surrounding the Phillies was their starting lineup. Who will bat where? How can they optimize the offense?
All the chatter about the lineup made people forget that Opening Day meant starts by both teams’ aces. Zack Wheeler and MacKenzie Gore both looked dominant on a chilly day in Washington, D.C.
Aces Deliver
Nobody will be shocked to hear that Zack Wheeler flashed in his 2025 debut. Zack did, however, surprise many with his velocity in game 1. On Opening Day 2024, Wheeler averaged 94.5 MPH on his fastball. In 2025, he sat around 96 MPH and touched 97.5. He was reeling and ready to go.
He cruised through the first 4.2 innings of the ballgame, striking out 7 Nationals along the way. Nat’s catcher, Keibert Ruiz, broke a scoreless tie in the 5th with a solo home run into the Nats bullpen. It came to a crescendo in a 12-pitch at bat. A hard-fought battle between Wheeler and Ruiz ended up in favor of Washington.
Wheeler ended up going 6 strong innings with 8 K. He allowed just 2 hits (both to Keibert Ruiz) and 2 walks. His fastball slowed down slightly in the 6th inning, but his repertoire looked crisp overall.
His counterpart, MacKenzie Gore, was historic with his dominance. The young southpaw starter lasted 6 innings with just 1 hit allowed. In those 6 innings, he did his best Kerry Wood/Roger Clemens impersonation. He struck out 13 Phillies. It wasn’t just a career high but also a Nats/Expos franchise record for a pitcher on Opening Day.
Phillies Get on the Board
The game would be decided by a battle of the bullpens.
Mackenzie Gore was removed after 93 pitches, opening the floodgates for the Phils. Lucas Sims came in to face the top of the Phillies’ order. Bryce Harper came up 2nd in the inning to a chorus of boos from the Nationals fans. He launched a 96 MPH fastball right over the center field wall.
After recording the 2nd out, Sims was pulled in favor of lefty Jose A. Ferrer to face Kyle Schwarber. On the first pitch, Schwarber smashed a 96 MPH fastball to give the Phillies their first lead.
Orion Kerkering was the first to enter for the Phillies out of the bullpen. The 23-year-old had to deal with 2 weak fly balls that fell into no-man’s land and an error by Bryson Stott. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, Kerkering locked in and struck out the next hitter. He finished the inning himself on an easy ground ball to Harper at 1st.
Fresh Phillies face Max Kepler recorded his first hit as a member of the team in the 8th inning with a double down the left field line. Nick Castellanos hit a single to left to put men on the corners. The Phillies got 1 run on a wild pitch by Ferrer, pushing the score to 3-1.
Trouble in the Bullpen
The team’s biggest offseason bullpen acquisition, Jordan Romano, got the call for the 8th inning. Romano’s stuff lagged to start the inning. Both his fastball and slider were 2+ MPH slower than average. He walked the first batter on 4 pitches and hit the next. After a double steal, a CJ Abrams groundout scored 1 run, and a Luis Garcia single tied the game at 3-3.
With the game reset, the Nationals brought Kyle Finnegan in to pitch the 9th. Alec Bohm opened the inning with a single, and Castellanos and Kepler followed with walks. With 2 outs, Bryson Stott flew out to end the threat.
Jose Alvarado looked unhittable in Spring Training. He did it again on Opening Day. He struck out the first 2 batters he faced on 101.3 and 99.8 MPH sinkers. He induced a weak grounder to end the inning and send the game to extra innings.
Alec Bohm Wins it
With the ghost runner enabled, the Phillies quickly recorded 2 outs in the inning against Colin Poche. Bryce Harper worked out a walk to bring up Alec Bohm. The .312 career hitter with runners in scoring position doubled to the left field wall, scoring 2. After walking Schwarber, the Nationals went to Eduardo Salazar.
JT Realmuto tripled on his first pitch, scoring another 2 runs.
With a 7-3 lead, Matt Strahm entered the game looking to close things out. The 2024 All-Star lefty started the inning by inducing a weak grounder to Trea Turner at shortstop for the first out. He struck out Jacob Young for the second out. A groundout later, the Phillies secured their first win of the 2025 season.
Jose Alvarado recorded the win.
Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
