Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber go yard, Bohm and Realmuto clutch up in extras, Phillies rally late to beat Nationals 7–3 in extras

It took a little longer than expected, but the Philadelphia Phillies finally remembered why they sometimes go by the name “The Fightins.”

Opening Day in D.C. started with sluggish swings, early frustration, and one lonely hit through six innings. But baseball’s a nine-inning game—or in this case, ten—and the Phillies showed up just in time to make a statement.

Zack Wheeler was locked in, turning in a vintage ace performance: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8 K.

His lone blemish was a fifth-inning solo shot from Keibert Ruiz that broke a scoreless tie and gave the Nationals a short-lived 1–0 lead.

The Seventh Inning Wake-Up Call

Then came Bryce Harper.

After a chorus of boos from the ever-bitter Nats crowd, Harper did what he always does—he sent a baseball to orbit. A no-doubter to center to even things up. A few batters later, Kyle Schwarber followed suit with his own Opening Day bomb, putting Philly ahead 2–1.

You could feel the tide turning.

WATCH: Bryce Harper ties the game with a solo moonshot

BRYCE HARPER. RING IT. 🔔#RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/ozSO6rROmo

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) March 27, 2025

WATCH: Bryce Harper booed in D.C., responds with a signature nuke to tie the game in the seventh

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Chaos in the Eighth

Max Kepler manufactured a run with his legs, scoring on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 3–1. But the bullpen faltered in the bottom half—CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. tied it back up at 3–3, and suddenly, we had bonus baseball.

Extras Belong to the Big Bats

Alec Bohm was quiet all day. Then he ripped a two-run double in the 10th to put the Phils back on top 5–3. J.T. Realmuto followed with a missile to right that turned into a two-run triple, breaking the game wide open.

in the top of the 10th. whatever. it's game 1 of 162 you get it.

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) March 27, 2025

From 1 hit through six innings to 7 runs and an Opening Day win? That’s a team that knows how to take a punch and throw a few haymakers of its own.

Final Score: Phillies 7, Nationals 3

• Bryce Harper: Home run, vintage troll job.
• Kyle Schwarber: Home run, set the tone for another power-packed season.
• Alec Bohm: Clutch double to flip the game in extras.
• J.T. Realmuto: Triple dagger.
• Zack Wheeler: Unbothered. Untouchable.

One down, 161 to go. Welcome back, baseball. The Phillies are here.

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