Now that the Philadelphia Phillies have begun their 2025 regular season, we can't help but look ahead to some important dates on the schedule. The Phillies still have a couple of games on the road after winning their Opening Day game against the Washington Nationals, so fans will have to wait just a little while longer to see them back at Citizens Bank Park this season.
The good news is that when the Phillies' home schedule kicks off, we'll all get to see how they stack up against the best of the best, with the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town in the early going of the season.
You know, those Dodgers. The ones with the estimated $390 million payroll.
The ones who weren't satisfied with signing the unicorn Shohei Ohtani and Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason and then winning the World Series. They just had to win the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes this past offseason, as if there was any doubt that's where the intriguing 23-year-old right-hander would end up on a minor league deal.
Oh, and don't forget that the Dodgers, who have taken the mantle of the "evil empire" away from the New York Yankees, also signed two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and closers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates. They also brought back the resurgent Teoscar Hernández among their myriad of other signings this winter.
Phillies and the "evil empire" Dodgers set to go head-to-head in the third series of the regular season
While baseball fans in every city lost their collective minds about the Dodgers' bottomless pockets this offseason — Phillies fans among them — the Phillies were content to just add pieces to complement the already star-studded roster despite the horrendous way the 2024 season ended. Even so, many in the industry still regard the Phillies as one of the top teams in the game and a legitimate contender to return to the World Series for the first time since 2022.
And we'll get to see the two juggernauts of the National League go head-to-head in the third series of the season. This is after the Phillies get a rather soft start to their schedule with their three games against the Nationals and three at home against the Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers, who are already 3-0 after their two-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the record-breaking Tokyo Series and a domestic Opening Day win on Thursday, will visit Philadelphia from April 4 to 6. It will be the only measuring stick of direct competition we'll have for most of the season. The Phillies won't see the Dodgers again until they fly out to Los Angeles for three games from Sept. 15 to 17.
How did the Phillies and Dodgers matchup in 2024?
Last season, despite finishing three games behind the Dodgers for the top spot in the standings, the Phillies handled their business, going 5-1 against the eventual World Series champions. They swept the Dodgers in the three games at Citizens Bank Park in July, outscoring them 19-5. Who can forget the epic Matt Strahm-Ohtani matchup?
That's All-Star Matt Strahm to you pic.twitter.com/nRQal2jAq9
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 11, 2024
The Phillies took two-of-three a few weeks later during a 10-game road trip to the West Coast. Remember Kyle Schwarber demolishing three homers as part of a four-hit, seven-RBI day to close out the series? Of course you do.
Kyle Schwarber.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 8, 2024
That's it, that's the post.@PALottery x #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/GTT7eZY8tG
Now, fans will get their first look early on at one of the Phillies' biggest obstacles in their quest to get back to the Fall Classic again this season. Bring on the evil empire.