By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
For the second straight Opening Day, the Philadelphia Phillies will embark on a new season behind RHP Aaron Nola – the franchise's 137th – opposite RHP Julio Teheran and the Atlanta Braves Thursday afternoon, home at Citizens Bank Park.
Bryce Harper will make his highly anticipated Phillies regular season debut, along with Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, and J.T. Realmuto. Rhys Hoskins returns to the everyday role at first base, while the longest-tenured Phillies player – second baseman Cesar Hernandez – returns for his seventh season and fourth straight Opening Day start. Through 40 career at-bats opposite Teheran while with the Washington Nationals, Harper has slashed .450/.577/1.125 with eight home runs, 19 RBI, 11 walks and just five strikeouts.
Nola receives his second straight Opening Day starting nod of his now five-year big-league career, as second-year manager Gabe Kapler begins his second season. Teheran, meanwhile, begins his ninth season and will make his sixth straight Opening Day start for the Braves, who have fallen in three of the veteran's Opening Day appearances, outscored 18-13 and outhit 37-31.
The Phillies have lost three of their last four season openers since 2015, outscored 25-11. Right-handers Nola (2018), Jeremy Hellickson (2016-17) and southpaw Cole Hamels (2015) were the Phillies starters in those contests. The club's last season opener at home was 2015, when it, behind Hamels, was shut out 8-0 by the Boston Red Sox in a rare, early Interleague series.
The Phillies are 61-73-2 all-time on Opening Day.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Atlanta Braves | Philadelphia Phillies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Julio Teheran | RHP | Aaron Nola | ||
| (2018: 9-9, 3.94 ERA) | (2018: 17-6, 2.37 ERA) | ||||
RHP Julio Teheran, Age: 28
- Career vs. PHI: 9-6, 3.65 ERA, 23 G, 22 GS, 138 IP, 122 H, 62 R, 56 ER, 14 HR, 36 BB, 115 SO, 1.145 WHIP
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: 6-2, 3.11 ERA, 9 G, 9 GS, 55 IP, 44 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 5 HR, 11 BB, 47 SO, 1.000 WHIP
RHP Aaron Nola, Age: 25
- Career vs. ATL: 7-3, 2.09 ERA, 12 G, 12 GS, 77 1/3 IP, 61 H, 21 R, 18 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 60 SO, 1.022 WHIP
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: 24-14, 3.08 ERA, 46 G, 46 GS, 292 IP, 243 H, 107 R, 100 ER, 37 HR, 76 BB, 339 SO, 1.092 WHIP
Starting Lineups:
| Atlanta Braves | Philadelphia Phillies | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Ender Inciarte | L | 1 | LF | Andrew McCutchen | R |
| 2 | 3B | Josh Donaldson | R | 2 | SS | Jean Segura | R |
| 3 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | L | 3 | RF | Bryce Harper | L |
| 4 | LF | Ronald Acuna Jr. | R | 4 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 5 | RF | Nick Markakis | L | 5 | C | J.T. Realmuto | R |
| 6 | 2B | Ozzie Albies | S | 6 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 7 | C | Brian McCann | L | 7 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 8 | SS | Dansby Swanson | R | 8 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 9 | P | Julio Teheran | R | 9 | P | Aaron Nola | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 3:05 p.m.
- TV: NBC10
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Citizens Bank Park will open its doors for its 16th season as the Phillies home, with many ballpark upgrades.
- Nola is the fifth different Phillies Opening Day starter since 2010, alongside Hellickson (2016-17), Hamels (2015, 2013), Lee (2014) and the late Roy Halladay (2010-2012). Since the final season of Veterans Stadium (2003), the club has only used seven unique Opening Day starters, with the others being RHP Brett Myers, 2007-2009; RHP Jon Lieber, 2005-2006; and RHP Kevin Millwood, 2003-2004.
- Thursday marks just the third time over the last nine seasons — since their franchise-best 102-win season in 2011 — that the Phillies have opened the season at home.
- All-time through five career Opening Day starts, Teheran is 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA and 19-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 29 2/3 innings.
- Segura becomes just the fifth different Phillies Opening Day starting shortstop since 2000, joining Desi Relaford (2000), Jimmy Rollins (2001-14), Freddy Galvis (2015-17) and J.P. Crawford (2018).
- The March 28, 2019, season opener is the earliest in Phillies franchise history, beating the previous record, set last season, by one day (March 29). The Phillies have only opened the season five times in the month of March since 1908: 2018 at ATL, 2014 at TEX, 2008 vs. WSN, 2003 at FLA and 1998 at NYM.
- Last season against the National League East champion Braves, the Phillies went 7-12, 5-4 at home.
- Injured Phillies: OF Roman Quinn (oblique) and RHP Tommy Hunter (elbow).
- Phillies and Braves batters' careers against Teheran and Nola (click to expand).
What's Next:
- Saturday, March 30, 2019: vs. Atlanta Braves, 4:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
- RHP Bryse Wilson vs. RHP Nick Pivetta
- TV: NBCSP+; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
