The Phillies will be kicking off their 2021 season on Thursday, hoping to finally see some tangible evidence that their rebuild is working.
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Philly will be hoping for a better season opener than last year, when Aaron Nola and company lost 5-2 at home to the Marlins, a game that won’t go down as one of the most memorable Opening Day games in Phillies history.
But these seven will, so here are some of the best season openers the Phillies have ever played:
1900
Let’s start with what is the highest scoring season opener in baseball history, a truly wild barnburner that ended in a 19-17 win for the Phils. Of course, it didn’t have to be nearly that dramatic, but Boston rallied to score nine (!) runs in the ninth inning to tie the game before the Phillies pushed two across in the top of the tenth to avoid a monumental collapse. It’s hard to find a box score from the game, but it must be a beautiful sight of pure chaos.
The Phillies rode that win to a dominant start to the season, beginning the year with a 22-10 record before fading over the next three months.
1937
How about starting the season with a doubleheader? That’s what the Phillies did in 1937, the only time in team history. Both games carried drama, each being decided by one run against the Braves, and both won by Philly.
Game one went to 11 innings, eventually won by the Phillies when Morrie Arnovich broke a 1-1 tie with a solo home run to give the Phils a 1-0 win. Arnovich got the best of a fatigued Guy Bush, who threw all 11 innings for Boston. The 11 inning game took just two hours and 20 minutes.
Pitching prevailed again in game two, with the lone run coming in the fourth when George Scharein scored Bill Atwood on an RBI groundout in what was a 1-0 win for the Phils. Bucky Walters got the win with a complete game shutout despite logging just one strikeout.
1955
Phillies fans at Connie Mack Stadium were oh-so close to witnessing history on the very first game of the season, but Robin Roberts lost his no-hit bid with one out in the ninth inning in a 4-2 win.
Roberts’ quest for baseball immortality ended on a single by Alvin Dark, but he was given the chance to complete the game, even as the Giants rallied for two runs. Fortunately, Peanuts Lowrey helped Philly put together rallies in the fifth and sixth innings to build a 4-0 lead.
Another piece of history ended that day, with franchise legend Richie Ashburn on the bench after a collision in the outfield during spring training kept him from playing. It was the end of his streak of 730 consecutive games played, still a Phillies record.
1974
The heart of the Phillies order in Larry Bowa and Del Unser helped keep this Opening Day game close against Mets starter Tom Seaver, but the Phils still trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth. The Phillies had a rally in their bones, starting with a pinch-hit single by Tony Taylor, and with one out in the inning, Mike Schmidt drilled a walk-off home run in one of the most dramatic finishes the Phillies have ever had in a season opener.
The rally came against Mets reliever Tug McGraw after Seaver tossed seven innings and struck out eight. Steve Carlton wasn’t his usual self for the Phillies, allowing seven hits and three earned runs in five innings of work.
2010
It was the Placido Polanco show to start the 2010 season, with the Phillies looking to wash away the frustration of a World Series loss the season before. Armed with a new ace in Roy Halladay, the Phils destroyed the Nationals 11-1, thanks in large part to Polanco, who drove in six runs, four with one swing and a grand slam. The six RBI was the most by a Phillie in a season opener in 96 years.
Halladay was superb in his anticipated debut, allowing one run in seven innings while striking out nine.
2011
The Phillies had to fight a little harder in this season opener than the predecessor, and it took a walk-off single by pinch-hitter John Mayberry Jr. to get the job done.
After the Astros built a 4-0 lead with three runs in the seventh, Philly fought back in bottom of the seventh by scratching across a pair on a sac fly by Ryan Howard and an RBI groundout by Raul Ibanez. Still trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth, the Phils went to work on Brandon Lyon, leading off the inning with singles by Jimmy Rollins and Howard before Ben Francisco drove in Rollins to cut the deficit to one. Wilson Valdez ties it with a single of his own before Mayberry came off the bench to win it.
Halladay was once again strong in his Opening Day start, allowing one run through six innings of work while striking out six.
2014
This Opening Day wasn’t quite the offensive storm like it was in 1900, but the Phillies did outslug the Rangers in a 14-10 win to open the 2014 season, with Rollins at the heart of it.
The Philly shortstop went just 1-for-6 on the day, but the one was big, a grand slam in the second inning to give the Phillies a 6-0 lead. It was also the 200th homer of Rollins’ career.
Of course, the Rangers came back with four in the bottom half of the inning, knocking around an ineffective Cliff Lee. They added three more in the third and totalled eight runs and 11 hits against Lee, who gave way to Jake Diekman and the bullpen after five innings of work. On the other side, Texas starter Tanner Scheppers allowed seven runs in four innings, while reliever Pedro Figueroa surrendered four runs in just 1.2 innings of work.
Ben Revere was the other big bat for the Phillies, going 3-for-6 with three RBI in what was Philadelphia’s highest scoring season opener since the insanity of 1900.
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