Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
It took exactly one game for Phillies fans to get that all-too-familiar sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs again.
Facing the Braves on Opening Day, Philadelphia held a 2–0 lead in the seventh inning behind a strong outing from ace Aaron Nola. That lead was erased on a two-run homer by Pablo Sandoval, which caused Nola to give way to a revamped Phillies bullpen that was the team’s undoing last season.