We all knew that ace Zack Wheeler was going to be the Philadelphia Phillies’ Opening Day starter. Even before they officially announced it, the 2024 NL Cy Young runner-up was already listed as the starter for Game 1 when the Phillies visit the Washington Nationals on March 27.
The real question we were all wondering was who would follow the staff ace in the Phillies' starting rotation to begin the 2025 regular season. Manager Rob Thomson seemingly had an embarrassment of riches to choose from in setting the order of his starters. He could choose between career Phillie veteran Aaron Nola, the up-and-coming Cristopher Sánchez, newcomer Jesús Luzardo and, until just recently, Ranger Suárez.
Thomson ended the guessing on Friday afternoon when he announced the Phillies' first four starters of the season, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Lochlahn March. The left-hander Luzardo will follow Wheeler in the Phillies' second game of the season, while the right-hander Nola will close out the series in Washington as the No. 3. Despite Nola having seniority, Thomson obviously made the choice to separate the righties and avoid throwing three lefties in a row.
Phillies set Opening Day starting rotation with Cristopher Sánchez lined up for the home opener
The lefty Sánchez will take the ball for the Phillies' home opener at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, March 31. Facing off against the visiting Colorado Rockies, the choice to slot the 28-year-old in at home makes perfect sense after seeing his lopsided home-road splits last season.
Sánchez was a monster in the friendly confines of The Bank in 2024, posting a 2.21 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .222/.253/.291 line in 110 innings. Things weren't quite as peachy on the road, where he posted a 5.02 ERA with batters teeing off to a tune of .307/.363/.450 in 71 2/3 innings.
Despite Sánchez looking almost unhittable this spring, the Phillies' skipper is playing it safe to begin the year. In five Grapefruit League starts, he has a 1.62 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 19 strikeouts to just two walks in 16 2/3 innings. He looks absolutely electric this spring. His velocity is up, he's throwing a new cutter, and he's gaining national attention for his dominant camp.
Cristopher Sánchez's 4Ks thru 2. pic.twitter.com/NTxvW5VHrK
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 2, 2025
Obviously, the Phillies would love to have been able to insert Suárez into the fifth spot to start the season, but his status remains murky after a stiff back has halted his build-up. The latest update on Friday sounded promising, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, but the Phillies won't make any decision about their fifth starter until they know for sure.