Bryce Harper, Rob Thomson, and Zack Wheeler credit Alec Bohm after his clutch hit in the 10th inning, especially after the offseason the third baseman had.
WASHINGTON — For three months this offseason, Alec Bohm had no idea where he'd be on Opening Day.
Philly? Seattle? Kansas City? Elsewhere? Trade rumors were rampant, and a 28-year-old, cost-controlled, All-Star third baseman is the sort of commodity most of the league finds attractive.
It's a good thing he remained where he was, third in the Phillies' lineup, because he's as necessary as ever hitting between Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. And in Game 1 of 162, Bohm delivered the winning blow, a two-run double to left-center in the 10th inning to untie the game in a 7-3 Phillies victory.
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"The (trade rumors) were real, he had a possibility of going somewhere else," Harper said. "A lot of guys in here, including myself, we love that kid. He plays the game hard and understands what it takes. He just needs to not put too much pressure on himself and enjoy what he does. What a big at-bat for him to come through right there."
Bohm's name wasn't out there over the winter because the Phillies were itching to trade him. It was because the Phillies viewed him as a player who could bring back a meaningful return. From a practical standpoint, Bohm's skill set is exactly what the Phillies need and would have been difficult to replace. They need not just Bohm's right-handed bat but his penchant for hitting line drives and using the entire field. His two hits Thursday were a double to left-center and single to right. He utilizes the whole field better than any of his teammates and he's a .312 career hitter with runners in scoring position, .323 the last two years.
"It's not very often that you get to play three, four seasons in a row with the same group in professional sports like this," Bohm said. "It's nice to be back here, back where I'm comfortable and familiar."
Things were not comfortable for either side's hitters for six innings. Shadows played a role, as they often do early in 4 p.m. games. It didn't help the bats that Zack Wheeler was throwing 97 mph and Mackenzie Gore had maybe the best stuff of his career.
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The Phillies trailed by a run with one out in the seventh inning when Harper woke up his team with a solo homer. The Nationals were using a right-handed reliever, Lucas Sims, because Trea Turner and Bohm were two of the three hitters due up. Harper, in between, made them pay. The Nats turned to a lefty two batters later for Kyle Schwarber, but he also came through with a solo shot.
So much focus has been on the Schwarber vs. Turner leadoff conversation, but each of the first four spots is equally important for this Phillies team. There will be many times like Thursday when the Phillies have the top of the order due up in late innings and an opponent feels it must use a righty to combat Turner and Bohm rather than prioritize Harper over them with a lefty. The more damage Harper does, the more teams will be tempted to use a lefty instead, which would play into the favor of the righties, Turner and Bohm.
It wasn't an ideal offensive performance — the Phillies' strikeouts were the most ever for a team that won on Opening Day – but a W is a W.
"I mean, obviously we don't want to punch out 19 times. That's comical," Harper said. "It's not fun to do that and we can't do that as a team, but today, made it work. We'll take it."
The 1-0 Phillies are off on Friday. They have Jesus Luzardo and Aaron Nola pitching on Saturday and Sunday with forecasts of 80 and 74 degrees. The Nationals counter with right-hander Jake Irvin and lefty Mitchell Parker, far cries from the caliber of Gore.
"When you go back and forth and have an off day tomorrow," Bohm said, "it would not have felt great to lose that one."