"I'm excited for Philly," Velasquez said. "I've never pitched an opener before in the big leagues. I have in the Minor Leagues, but I'm just going to approach it the same as a regular game."
But it will be different. Velasquez has only pitched four times in front of crowds 40,000 or more, and each of those games came on the road.
Velasquez pitched in front of a home crowd of 37,748 on June 26, 2015, against the Yankees at Minute Maid Park, when he was with the Astros. It is the largest home crowd of his career.