Can Aaron Nola Turn the Phillies' Opening Day Luck Around?

The Philadelphia Phillies have been playing baseball since 1883. What did that first day of Philadelphia baseball look like and how have things changed since then?

Ben Silver | Apr 8, 2022

It was a clear day in Philadelphia. The high that day was 61° Fahrenheit with clear skies, and for the first time, the Philadelphia Phillies took the field.

That day, they played the Providence Grays, a team that existed for only eight seasons late in the nineteenth century before fading into the annals of history and obscurity.

The Phillies lost 4-3 to a Grays team that won almost 60% of their games that year, and featured players with names like Cliff Carrell, Barney Gilligan, and Old Hoss Radbourn. The Phillies, meanwhile, had players called Piggy Ward, Abe Wolstenholme, Blondie Purcell, Charlie Kelly, and Hardie Henderson.

The ballpark was Recreation Field, what was an old Civil War U.S. cavalry encampment. From 1876-79, it became a horse market before Phillies' founder, Al Leach purchased the land and erected a three-section shoddy wooden grandstand.

The Phillies, as they came to be known, joined the National League in 1883 and played four Opening Days at Recreation Park before moving to Philadelphia Baseball Grounds in 1887, better known today as the Baker Bowl.

There, they played for over 51 years. Hall of Famer, Pete Alexander made the most Opening Day starts in the ballpark's history with five, his longest streak coming from 1914-17 before his involvement in World War I pushed him away from the game of baseball.

After Alexander's departure from the club in 1917, the Phillies never again experienced any level of success at Baker Bowl.

Multiple grandstand collapses, the latter occurring in 1927, and the stadium's age forced a Phillies move to Shibe Park stadium mid-season 1938. The following year, the Phillies first full season at Shibe Park, Opening Day was started by Hugh Mulcahy.

Mulcahy is remembered today not for his achievements on the field, but for his rather unfortunate nickname, "Losing Pitcher."

The Phillies did a lot of losing that season, taking a loss in 106 of 152 contests. At that point in their history, losing was less a concern and more a tradition.

But as the decade rolled along and the 40s turned into the 50s, Philadelphia finally began winning, and found a consistent Opening Day starter for the first time since old Pete Alexander.

Robin Roberts started twelve consecutive Opening Days from 1950-61, the Phillies took home the victory in six of those games, but still their record languished below .500 on Opening Days.

From 1965-71, Chris Short started six Opening Days, winning all but one of them. By the time Steve Carlton took over, the Phillies record on Opening Day was 46-41-2.

Carlton started 14 Phillies Opening Days, a team record which will likely never be broken.

Today, Aaron Nola will make his fifth consecutive Opening Day start at age-28. To match Carlton's record, he would have to start every Phillies opener until 2029 and his age-35 season.

The Phillies Opening Day record stands at 65-72-2 for a winning percentage of .474, almost perfectly reflecting the Phillies historical winning percentage of .472.

The Phillies have played 139 seasons of baseball and they've seen more bad times then good. But Opening Day marks a time when every team is even and hope springs eternal.

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Published Apr 8, 2022

BEN SILVER

Ben Silver is deputy editor for Inside the Phillies. A graduate of Boston University, Ben formerly covered the Phillies for PhilliesNation.com. Follow him on Twittter @BenHSilver.