PHILADELPHIA -- It's only one game, but the newest chapter of Phillies baseball could not have gotten off to a better start.
Newcomer Luis Arraez did exactly what the Phillies brought him in to do. Bryce Harper cleanly handled every ball hit his way -- of which there were many -- in his first appearance in right field in more than four years. Bryson Stott did the same, albeit with fewer opportunities, at third base.
That was more than enough for Jesús Luzardo, who tossed eight scoreless innings before another newcomer, Caleb Kilian, finished off a 5-0 victory over the Nationals on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. It was the Phillies' (61-53) fourth straight win after dropping eight of their previous nine games.
This one, though, was unlike any of their previous 60 wins this season.
It started with Harper jogging out to right field, where he greeted the fans with the same bow he gave them prior to his Phillies debut in 2019. He then proceeded to track down a fly ball on the very first pitch of the game -- his first outfield putout since April 16, 2022.
“The baseball gods,” Luzardo said of the first pitch going Harper’s way. “There was never a doubt.”
But it wasn't just Harper in right field. It was Stott at third base for just the third time in his career. It was Alec Bohm starting at first base for just the fifth time this season.
“It's not easy what they’re doing, and I think that we all really appreciate their willingness to go out and change positions,” Luzardo said. “I know it's putting pride to the side and just going out and doing whatever it takes for the team, and we couldn't be more thankful for them.”
Of course, it was also Arraez debuting as the club’s new second baseman.
He wasted no time introducing himself to the hometown fans, roping an RBI single in his first at-bat and an RBI double in his second trip to the plate.
“That's why I'm here,” Arraez said. “To enjoy the game and to try to do something special for the guys, and especially to the fans, too.”
But it wasn't just the fact that Arraez recorded an RBI knock in each of his first two plate appearances, it was how he did it.
With two on and one out in the first, Arraez spoiled a sinker off the plate then laid off a sweeper in the dirt before getting a sinker over the heart of the plate that he laced up the middle to put the Phils on the board.
Two innings later, Arraez once again stepped to the dish with a pair of runners on base. This time around, he put together a quintessential Arraez at-bat -- the kind that has mostly escaped the Phillies this season.
Though none of the first six pitches were in the strike zone, Arraez fouled off three of them -- including one on a bunt attempt -- and laid off the other three to work a full count. He then fouled off a four-seamer in the lower half of the zone before Zack Littell finally hung a slider that Arraez pulled down the line for his second RBI hit in as many chances.
"He lengthens [the lineup],” Littell said. “They don't have a lot of true contact guys like that. They have a bunch of guys that can slug you, but he lengthens the lineup.”
Though Arraez acknowledged he’s excited about helping the Phillies in their postseason push, he said prior to the game that one of the best parts about joining the Phillies is he won’t have to face Cristopher Sánchez anymore.
“He’s so nasty,” said Arraez, who’s 1-for-18 in his career against the Phillies ace.
And his thoughts on Luzardo after playing behind him for the first time?
“Oh, he's a nasty pitcher, too,” Arraez said after the game. “I forgot to say that earlier, but he showed it today. That's why he’s one of the best pitchers. … I'm really happy to play defense behind those guys.”
A couple of timely hits and clean team defense behind a dominant starting pitching performance. In other words, it was the exact blueprint for how this chapter of Phillies baseball can ultimately produce a different ending in October.
"It's obviously a great day for the Phillies,” Harper said. “Just got to keep going."