‘Wheeler vs. Strider, Part I’ sets stage for Phillies-Braves on Opening Day

Zack Wheeler will take on Atlanta’s Spencer Strider on Opening Day. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire)

A clash of high-level talent in a passionate divisional matchup, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves have formed one of Major League Baseball’s best rivalries in the last two seasons.

Now, the two clubs’ aces are set to face off for the very first time in their careers to start off 2024. For all the regular-season and playoff games the Phillies and Braves have played since 2022 — 40 in total — right-handers Zack Wheeler and Spencer Strider have never taken the mound against one another on the same day. But, as the Braves announced on Tuesday, that’ll change on Thursday, March 28. It’s “Wheeler vs. Strider, Part I” at Citizens Bank Park, the two power-pitching heavyweights headlining a National League East showdown as they each make their first career Opening Day starts.

The Phillies and Braves have been rivals since the two teams played in the NLCS in 1993 and Atlanta joined the NL East the next year. But, for as much success as both franchises have had in that span, the intensity has risen in recent years. They met in the NLDS in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023, and the matchup has made for two classic playoff series. With a 2021 World Series championship under its belt, Atlanta has won over 100 games in its last two regular seasons to earn a postseason first-round bye. And for two years straight, the wild-card Phillies have won their first-round series and gone on to upset the Braves in four games.

With two iconic series filled with star players, trash talk, huge home runs and wild finishes fresh in the teams’ minds, the rivalry between Philadelphia and Atlanta will be alive and well in 2024. The Braves project to be among baseball’s best once again this season, and the Phillies hope to finally compete for an NL East title that hasn’t left Atlanta in the last six years — or at least play spoiler for a third straight postseason if they can’t. There’s an edge to this pairing and unfinished business on both sides, and there’s no better way to start it off than on Opening Day with the two best arms toeing the rubber.

At different stages in their respective careers, Wheeler and Strider have separated themselves as two of the top pitchers in the sport heading into this season. Wheeler, 33, has pitched like one of the game’s best starters since signing with Philadelphia ahead of the 2020 season, earning himself a new three-year, $126 million extension this spring that runs through 2027. The 25-year-old Strider has put his electric arsenal on display since his debut in 2021, finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2022 before breaking out to lead the majors in strikeouts (281) and wins (20) last season.

Wheeler has a 3.06 ERA in 101 starts as a Phillie, a tremendous payoff for the club that signed him following an injury-riddled start to his career with the New York Mets. He led the major leagues in innings in 2021 with 213 1/3 on his way to a second-place Cy Young Award finish. Wheeler then proved himself as a playoff riser, starting big game after big game on the Phillies’ surprise run to the 2022 World Series and performing even as the team fell in the 2023 NLCS. Strangely enough, though, Wheeler started the only two games the Braves won in the last two postseasons, despite pitching solidly. He’ll take the ball on Opening Day over right-hander Aaron Nola, who had started Philadelphia’s first game six years in a row.

In his first two full seasons, Strider posted a 3.36 ERA in 318 1/3 innings with a staggering 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings. His bat-missing dominance led to a fourth-place finish for the NL Cy Young Award last year. Strider has been a regular-season Phillie killer as well, going 8-0 in eight appearances against the Phillies with a 1.90 ERA; he has 1.42 ERA in three regular-season starts at Citizens Bank Park.

But Strider’s postseason track record hasn’t been the same in his limited experience. He’s made three playoff starts, all against the Phillies, and taken the loss in all three. The first, in Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS, he got rocked in the third inning as he returned to the mound from injury. He pitched fairly well in his two postseason starts in 2023, but Philadelphia got to the righty when it needed to. The Phillies have racked up some memorable playoff moments against Strider, one bat spike and two Nick Castellanos homers at a time.

The Braves named Strider their Opening Day starter following three straight openers started by left-hander Max Fried.

Wheeler and Strider certainly have some differences in how they approach the game. Strider has the better pure stuff — perhaps the best on the planet right now — and is willing to let it eat; the veteran Wheeler is more of a workhorse type, but he can certainly gear up when he needs to. All in all, the two are among the elite of the elite, each with a valid case to claim the title of MLB’s best current pitcher.

With as many times as the Phillies and Braves have played in the last two years, it’s almost shocking that there’s never been a game that Wheeler and Strider both started. But, entering the third year of this heightened rivalry, Opening Day 2024 is as good a time as any for this highly anticipated matchup to take place.

The stage is set, and the South Philly crowd will be rocking. Time to play ball.