Cristopher Sanchez shoves, Alec Bohm goes yard, and the Phillies take Opening Day 5-3 over Rangers
One game in and the Phillies look exactly like what they are supposed to be. Cristopher Sanchez was historic on the mound. Kyle Schwarber hit an opposite field two-run homer in the first inning. Alec Bohm hit the shot that buried the Rangers in the fifth. Jhoan Duran closed the door.
Phillies 5, Rangers 3 on a warm Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
Cristopher Sanchez
Ten strikeouts. Zero walks. Six shutout innings on the biggest individual stage of the regular season calendar. He became just the sixth pitcher since 1900 to post that line on Opening Day, joining a group that includes Bob Gibson in 1967. The first Phillies pitcher with double-digit strikeouts on Opening Day since Curt Schilling’s franchise-record eleven in 1997. Only the fourth time in franchise history it has happened at all.
Cristopher Sanchez: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K.
The Offense
Schwarber led off the bottom of the first and went oppo taco for a two-run shot.
Phillies 2-0 just like that.
Crawford went 2-for-4 in his MLB debut, a solid first showing for the rookie. Turner, Stott, and Marsh each had two-hit games. Harper went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Garcia went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Realmuto went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. There is the accountability portion of the recap.
1st Inning: Kyle Schwarber. Oppo Taco. 2-Run HR. Phillies 2-0.
Crawford went 2-for-4 in his MLB debut, a solid first showing for the rookie center fielder. Turner, Stott, and Marsh each had two-hit games as well.
Harper went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Garcia went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Realmuto went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
There is the accountability portion of the recap.
Cleanup Hitter Alec Bohm
Cleanup Hitter Alec Bohm
Phillies up 2-0 in the fifth, two men on, two outs, and Schwarber and Harper had just struck out back to back in the exact sequence that has killed this team in October. Runners on, middle of the lineup, big moment, nothing to show for it.
Alec Bohm stepped in, took a 2-0 cutter from Eovaldi up in the zone, and hit it the opposite way into the seats for a three-run homer and a 5-0 lead. The guy the fanbase spent two offseasons demanding the front office replace was the best hitter in the lineup when it counted. Gotta love it.
Cleanup Hitter Alec Bohm: RING IT.
The Bullpen
Bowlan and Pop each threw clean innings before Kyle Backhus allowed three hits and three runs in the top of the ninth to make things briefly interesting. Rob Thomson called on Duran who promptly shut the door to seal it. In the process Duran became the first Phillies closer ever to earn a save at home on Opening Day.
Because the MLB schedule never makes sense, the Phillies have an off day today before resuming the series with Texas tomorrow at 4:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.
One down. One hundred and sixty-one to go.
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