Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles Put Together Epic Sports Night for the City

The Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles ruled the sports world on Friday.
Sep 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Weston Wilson reacts after hitting a single.
Sep 6, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Weston Wilson reacts after hitting a single. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Friday was a good day to be a Philadelphia sports fan.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles both gave fans plenty to cheer for on Friday night in overlapping victories, kicking off the weekend on a high note.

The Phillies won first, crushing the Miami Marlins 16-2.

Philadelphia scored seven runs in the first two innings and cruised from there, providing more than enough run support for Zack Wheeler. The ace yielded just two hits over six innings of one-run ball, racking up seven strikeouts en route to his 14th victory.

Meanwhile, the Phillies' offense banged out 22 hits against their NL East rivals, including home runs by Trea Turner and the red-hot Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper chipped in three hits also as Philadelphia rolled to their MLB-best 85th win.

While the Phillies were blowing out the last-place Marlins, the Eagles began their new season against the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, Brazil.

It was the first NFL game played in South America and the first Week 1 game played on a Friday since 1970.

By the time the Eagles and Packers kicked off at 8:15 p.m. ET, the Phillies already had a comfortable lead and were well on their way to a lopsided victory.

After winning on the diamond, Philadelphia prevailed on the gridiron as well.

Despite iffy field conditions that caused countless players to slip, the Eagles started their 2024 campaign on the right foot with a 34-29 win against Jordan Love & Co.

Former New York Giants star Saquon Barkley led the way in his Eagles debut, tallying 132 total yards and scoring three touchdowns. A.J. Brown shined as well, pacing Philadelphia's receiving corps with 119 yards and a touchdown.

It was an encouraging rebound performance from the Eagles, who ended 2023 on a down note by losing six of their last seven games. The offense looked explosive while the defense made some big plays in the second half, holding the Packers to just 10 points after halftime.

Philadelphia fans have to be feeling good about their MLB and NFL teams after Friday's showings.

The Phillies proved once again that, when they're right, they're arguably the best team in baseball. Meanwhile, the Eagles turned the page with a big win over a playoff team from last year, and once again, look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

If both teams play up to their potential over the next few months, there could be several championship parades in Philadelphia's near future.


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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.