Phillies' Sánchez Shines in Season Opener

0:00It's March 27. You're listening to MLB News today, AI-powered baseball coverage. I'm Corey with the story. The Philadelphia Phillies opened their season with a solid 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers. Christopher Sanchez delivered a standout performance in his first start after signing a $104 million contract extension. The 29-year-old lefty pitched six shutout innings, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits with no walks. Sanchez showed exactly why the Phillies locked him up through the 2332 season. Last year, he won 13 games and came in second for the National League-Sci Young Award. His effort backed up the Phillies' powerful lineup where Kyle Schwarber crushed a two-run homer in the first and Alec Bohm added a three-run shot in. The fifth to chase the Ranger starter. Fans at the ballpark gave Sanchez a standing ovation as he left the mound after striking out Corey Seeger to end the sixth. The crowd of 44,610 cheered loudly and Sanchez pumped his fist in excitement.

1:03Phillies' rookie Justin Crawford, son of former All-Star Carl Crawford, made his big league debut with a couple of singles. Texas made a late push in the ninth with a two-run homer from Jake Berger, forcing the Phillies to call on their closer for the save. There was also a notable moment when Reliever's Zack Pop lost the team's first challenge under the new automated ballstrike system. The series continue Saturday with Aeronola on the mound for Philly against Texas, Ace Jacob DeGrom, setting up another exciting match up early in the Sioux season.