March 17, 2024
Opening Day nears and so does another season for the Phillies with high expectations.
And Zack Wheeler will be the one to get things going.
Manager Rob Thomson announced Sunday that Wheeler will have the Opening Day nod against the Braves on March 28 at Citizens Bank Park, starting the new season right at the top of the Phillies' projected rotation.
Wheels Up for Opening Day pic.twitter.com/kHo2v8WduU
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 17, 2024
It comes at the cost, however, of Aaron Nola's long-running streak of Opening Day starts, which comes to an end after six seasons. The longest-tenured Phillie, however, is OK with that, per The Philadelphia Inquirer's Alex Coffey.
Thomson said he talked to Aaron Nola about it and Nola is good with the decision.
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) March 17, 2024
"That's who Aaron is. He's a great team guy. He felt like Wheels deserved it. So that's where we went."
It's looking to be a big year for both pitcher either way as the Phillies' 1-2 punch.
Nola signed a seven-year, $172 million deal in November to ensure that he would stay in Philadelphia and Wheeler agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract extension earlier this month to do the same.
With the two of them at the top, the Phillies have built up one of the more formidable starting pitching rotations in baseball, one that has carried them deep into October for the past two seasons, but also one that is still very much after a World Series title by the end of it all.
The road to it will begin just shy of a couple of weeks from now in South Philadelphia.
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