Jacob deGrom will face a familiar foe when he debuts for the Texas Rangers on Thursday during 2023 MLB Opening Day. The Rangers host the reigning NL champion Philadelphia Phillies at Globe Life Field in the season opener. After nine seasons with the Mets, deGrom will throw his first regular season pitch with his new team after signing a five-year, $185 million contract over the winter.
The Phillies have a new star making a team debut as well: shortstop Trea Turner figures to serve as Rob Thomson's leadoff man and is set to be the first batter deGrom faces. The Phillies will send veteran Aaron Nola to the mound opposite of deGrom. Nola, 29, is entering the final year of his contract and did not come to an agreement over an extension with the club before Opening Day.
The Phillies will be without both Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, however. Harper is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and will miss at least the first two months of the season, while Hoskins suffered a torn ACL in a spring training game last week. He is expected to be out the entire 2023 campaign.
Here are the complete details, including streaming information, for Rangers-Phillies on Opening Day.
Rangers vs. Phillies
- Time: 4:05 p.m. ET | Date: Thursday, March 30
- Location: Globe Life Field; Arlington, Texas
- Live stream: fuboTV (try for free) | TV channel: Bally Sports Southwest (TEX), NBC10
- Pitchers: Jacob deGrom (TEX) vs. Aaron Nola (PHI)
- Odds: TEX -135; PHI +115; O/U: 6.5 runs (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Rangers: All eyes will be on deGrom, the latest high-priced signing for the Rangers, who have not made the playoffs since 2016. deGrom has been the best starting pitcher in baseball for the last handful of years whenever he's on the mound. The problem has been staying on the mound. In the last two years, deGrom made just 26 regular season starts for a total of 156 1/3 innings. Texas is hoping for a full season from its new ace, and we'll see what kind of impression deGrom makes against the Phillies, an opponent he faced 20 times as a Met to the tune of a 2.18 ERA.
Phillies: Turner will be debuting for the Phillies, whose lineup feels a little empty with the absences of Harper and Hoskins. Turner should be hitting ahead of fellow Team USA teammates Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto to start the lineup, but the Phillies will need contributions later in the order from hitters like Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm if they want to make noise against deGrom and be a playoff contender without Harper.
