Phillies Announce Opening Day Starter

The Philadelphia Phillies will be looking to start the 2024 regular season on a good note after losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS last season. 

The Phillies want to return to the World Series for the second time in the past three years and will need their two star pitchers, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, to lead the way. It’s been a busy offseason for both starting pitchers, who got brand new deals and will be in the city of Brotherly Love for the foreseeable future.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced Sunday that Wheeler will be the Opening Day starter on Mar. 28 against the Atlanta Braves.

It will be the first time in Wheeler’s career that he’ll be the starting pitcher on Opening Day. With Wheeler taking the ball later this month, Nola’s Opening Day streak will end at six consecutive years.

Nola threw his support behind Wheeler being the Opening Day starter a couple of weeks ago, where he said, “Wheels should take it,” Nola said. “He’s earned it, man (h/t MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki).”

Ever since Wheeler joined the Phillies in 2020, he’s become one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. The 33-year-old has a 3.03 ERA with an impressive 43-25 record in four seasons with the Phillies.

Last year, Wheeler recorded the second-most wins in his MLB career (13) despite having a 3.61 ERA. The veteran right-handed pitcher is having an excellent Spring Training, producing a 1.80 ERA in two starts. 

The Phillies will look to get off to a great start this season, and Wheeler has the chance to set the tone against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. The 33-year-old starting pitcher has second-best odds (+900 on FanDuel sportsbook) to win the NL Cy Young Award this season.

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