The Philadelphia Phillies kicked off their postseason on Saturday, hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. Philadelphia earned a first-round bye after securing the No. 2 seed in the National League. The team tabbed Cristopher Sanchez for the series-opening start. But before Sanchez took the mound, the Phillies gave the ball to a franchise legend.
Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Citizens Bank Park. The crowd welcomed the former third baseman with a roar as he set up around the halfway point between the mound and home plate. Schmidt then opened the Phillies' postseason by tossing the first pitch to Bryce Harper.
Mike Schmidt throws a ceremonial first pitch to Bryce Harper pic.twitter.com/x4cEOlnbg8
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) October 4, 2025
The ceremonial battery of Schmidt and Harper has five combined league MVP Awards, 20 All-Star Games, 10 Silver Sluggers and 10 Gold Gloves. Although Schmidt is responsible for all 10 Gold Glove Awards.
Cristopher Sanchez takes on Shohei Ohtani in NLDS opener
Schmidt is the Phillies’ all-time leader in just about every significant offensive statistic. He spent his entire 18-year career in Philadelphia, hitting 548 home runs and racking up 106.9 bWAR, which is tied for 24th in MLB history. He’s also a World Series champion and was named MVP of the 1980 Fall Classic.
Schmidt threw out the first pitch prior to Game 3 of the 2022 World Series when the Phillies faced the Houston Astros. Philadelphia would go on to lose to Houston in six games.
The Phillies are poised for a championship run in 2025. But first the team has to get past the Dodgers. Sanchez squared off against Shohei Ohtani in Game 1 of the NLDS. Ohtani made his postseason debut in the Division Series opener. However, he got off to a rocky start, allowing three runs in two innings.
The reigning NL MVP faces his stiffest competition for the award in the Division round. Kyle Schwarber had an MVP-caliber campaign. The 11th-year veteran helped power the Phillies to the playoffs with the best season of his career.
Schwarber belted 56 home runs in 2025, leading the National League. He also played all 162 games and finished with an MLB-leading 132 RBI. However, in their first postseason head-to-head battle, Schwarber is 0-3 with two strikeouts against Ohtani.
