Outside of outfielder Max Kepler, the lineup the Philadelphia Phillies rolled out in its 7-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Opening Day was similar to the one that ranked fifth in baseball with 4.84 runs per game last season. The win had the usual suspects including Bryce Harper and Trea Turner but shook up the batting order as some players played in different spots.
But it was a player whose future was uncertain last offseason that made the difference and his late-game heroics were a redeeming performance that helped the Phillies get the win on Opening Day.
Alec Bohm’s Heroics Redeem Himself After Offseason Trade Rumors
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm played the hero on Thursday afternoon, going 2-for-5 with a two-run double that broke a 3-3 tie in the top of the 10th inning. While Bohm hit third for Philadelphia in the win, there was a real chance he could have been driving in runs for another lineup after the Phillies shopped him in trade discussions last winter according to MLB.com’s Todd Zelicki.
“The Phillies tried to trade Bohm in the offseason,” Zelciki wrote. “They were looking to shake up their lineup, and they figured they could get something for Bohm because he is a talented, run-producing All-Star third baseman who can not become a free agent until after the 2026 season. But the Phils couldn’t find a match.”
If president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was looking for a shakeup, Bohm was one of his best trade chips. The 28-year-old enjoyed a breakout season at the plate a year ago, hitting .280/.332/.448 with 15 homers and 97 RBI to earn his first All-Star appearance. He also improved defensively, serving as a neutral infielder after posting a minus-9 in defensive runs saved in 2023 and tripled his previous career-high in wins above replacement (3.0 WAR in 2024).
With two years of team control, it was the expendable piece that Philadelphia could afford to move. But no team was willing to make the investment and Bohm showed his worth by hitting third in the Phillies lineup on Thursday.
Bohm’s afternoon started quietly with a ground out in the top of the first inning and a pair of strikeouts in his next two at-bats. The Phillies’ bullpen blew a two-run lead on an RBI groundout by C.J. Abrams and an RBI single by Luis Garcìa Jr. in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Bohm hit a one-out single to lead off the top of the ninth but was stranded at third base.
Harper joined “Manfred Man” Bryson Stott on base with a two-out walk in the top of the 10th inning before Bohm delivered a go-ahead two-run double to break open the floodgates and lead the Phillies to victory.
“Obviously they were real,” Harper said of Bohm’s offseason trade rumors. “He had a possibility of going somewhere else. A lot of guys in here, man – including myself – we love that kid over there. He plays the game and plays it hard and understands what it takes, man. He just needs to not put pressure on himself too much and just have fun, enjoy what he does. What a big at-bat for him to come through right there.”
It’s only one game of 162, but his Opening Day heroics were a great way for Bohm to show his worth to the Phillies after an offseason of uncertainty.