5 Can’t-miss moments from Philadelphia Phillies Opening Day
The Philadelphia Phillies opened the season with a resounding victory over their former city-mates, the Oakland Athletics.
The game had everything, but here are the five moments you can’t miss…
1. The Phillie Phanatic literally dropping in from the sky
No one makes an entrance – or does anything – quite like the Phillie Phanatic.
Fresh off winning the lawsuit about the Phanatic’s appearance, the Phillies reintroduced him by having him parachute into Citizens Bank Park from the sky.
2. Kyle Schwarber leads off with a home run in his first Phillies at-bat
Kyle Schwarber made an immediate impact as the Phillies’ new leadoff man, hitting a home run in his very first at-bat.
As the Phillies’ communications department noted before the game, Schwarber had great success in the leadoff spot in 2021, hitting .297/.385/.832 with a 1.216 OPS over 27 games. This was his 14th career leadoff homer.
3. Bryson Stott’s first big-league EVERYTHING
In the top of the sixth, Bryson Stott stroked a line drive out to right for his first major-league hit. A beautiful piece of hitting loaded the bases for the Phillies, setting up for Matt Vierling to drive in a run moments later.
A few innings later, he got his first extra-base hit and RBI, making the case for Rookie of the Year almost immediately.
4. Aaron Nola redemption game… almost
Aaron Nola was absolutely rolling until the seventh, when he allowed a three-run homer to Seth Brown. But before that, he’d pitched six innings of one-run ball and was cruising.
Nola only threw 76 pitches in his Opening Day start, but those two-strike home runs are a killer. Can’t have that.
5. Seranthony Domínguez comeback season
Seranthony Domínguez has been on a long road back from elbow injuries and Tommy John surgery, but he impressed on Friday and gave fans a reason to believe the bullpen won’t wreak havoc on their high hopes for the season. He threw a scoreless inning and only needed seven pitches to get it done.
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