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Philadelphia. The Phillies began the season with a solid display of pitching and offensive power by defeating the Rangers 5-3 on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park, sending a clear message about their World Series aspirations.
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Dominican left-hander Cristopher Sánchez starred in a historic performance by pitching six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and without giving up walks, becoming only the sixth pitcher since 1900 to achieve that combination on Opening Day. With this, he joined a select group that includes Hall of Famer Bob Gibson and former Phillies pitcher Chris Short. Sánchez also became the first Philadelphia pitcher with at least 10 strikeouts in an opening day game since Curt Schilling set the team record with 11 in 1997. The offense backed the starter early. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run homer to the opposite field in the first inning to open the scoring, while Alec Bohm extended the lead with a three-run homer, also to the opposite field, in the fifth inning to make the score 5-0. Schwarber's power is not surprising, after leading the National League with 56 home runs last season. Instead, Bohm's hit reinforces his evolution as an offensive producer, despite not being the typical fourth batter with 30 or more home runs. Even so, he is a player capable of surpassing 40 doubles, 20 home runs and 100 RBIs in a season. The Phillies began training convinced that they have the talent to compete with any team, including the champion Dodgers. Although 161 games remain, the performance of Sánchez, Schwarber, and Bohm in the first game of the year fuels expectations of a great season for Philadelphia.
