This one started with a Kyle Schwarber leadoff home run, as is tradition. In the not so distant future there will be children who cannot recall a Phillies game that did not start with a Schwarber home run; the idea will seem as plausible to them as Christmas without presents or a birthday without cake. In the present, though, there was a game against Toronto to play.
It wasn’t all joy in the 1st. Bryce Harper took a pitch that grazed off his elbow (though fortunately not the sore elbow that has been giving him trouble as of late).