Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Know Their Opening Day Pitching Matchup Against Nationals

The Philadelphia Phillies now know who they'll face on Opening Day.

Brad Wakai

Mar 9, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Edmundo Sosa (33) celebrates after hitting a home run with infielder Otto Kemp (82) against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning during spring trining at BayCare Ballpark
Mar 9, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Edmundo Sosa (33) celebrates after hitting a home run with infielder Otto Kemp (82) against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning during spring trining at BayCare Ballpark / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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It wasn't much of a surprise when it was revealed that Zack Wheeler would be the Philadelphia Phillies' Opening Day starter this year.

Not only is he their best pitcher and is coming off another Cy Young runner-up finish, but that was his role last season as well, taking the staff ace title from Aaron Nola who previously had started six consecutive Opening Days from 2018-23.

Wheeler and the Phillies will be hoping for another strong start this year.

Getting out of the gate hot was a major reason why they were able to win their first NL East title since 2011, and with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets expected to take steps forward this season, Philadelphia will have to counter that by getting out to another big lead this year once again.

They'll have an opportunity to do so in their opening series.

The Phillies will travel to the nation's capital to face the Washington Nationals on March 27, the first in their three-game set before they come back home and welcome in the Colorado Rockies on March 31.

While Philadelphia knew who was going to be taking the ball for them, they now know who the opposing pitcher will be after the Nationals officially announced that their ace MacKenzie Gore will be the Opening Day starter.

That's not a major surprise, either.

Gore is also Washington's best pitcher, so if they're going to try to open their season with a win, then trotting out the left-handed ace is the best course of action.

For the Phillies, he's not someone who has given them much issue during his career.

Gore has a career ERA of 4.98 across his nine outings when facing Philadelphia, having given up 48 hits in 45.1 innings of work while striking out 46 and walking 16.

The Phillies will hope they can do the same in 2025, having an explosion at the plate to support Wheeler and get the team's first win on the board.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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