After more trade talk and a lawsuit, Alec Bohm still came through on Opening Day
Mar 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) celebrates with center fielder Brandon Marsh (16) in the dugout after hitting a three RBI home run during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Thursday afternoon in South Philadelphia was about as perfect as it gets. Sunny, high-70s, Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park, a couple of home runs, an excellent Cristopher Sanchez outing, and a pretty painless Phillies win up until the very end.
That same cheery imagery cannot be used to describe the last two years for Alec Bohm. The past pair of winters has included immense trade talk, up to the point this offseason, where it seemed as if the third baseman was as good as gone, with Bo Bichette on his way to Philadelphia. Yet, Bohm is back with the Phillies and hitting cleanup once again. However, this offseason included a hapless addendum: family drama.
The 29-year-old filed a lawsuit against his parents, Daniel and Lisa Bohm, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday, alleging that his parents defrauded him of millions of dollars over the past seven years while supposedly managing his finances. The lawsuit seeks at least $3 million in damages, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I’m not going to address any personal matters right now,” Bohm said after the Phillies’ 5-3 Opening Day win over the Texas Rangers.
It is an understandable response, but his performance on Thursday was not so comprehensible. This sort of circumstance to transpire within a family is tragic, especially as Bohm begins his final season before entering free agency. It weighs on athletes. Still, Bohm was able to put his head down, go to work, and pop a three-run opposite-field home run off a 2-0 cutter from Nathon Eovaldi in the bottom of the fifth inning to blow it open.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE BOHM! pic.twitter.com/Yx7NF9WjIl
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 26, 2026
“It kind of reaffirms that I’m not up there trying too hard,” Bohm said. “When I’m up there trying too hard, I don’t give myself a chance to catch the ball a little deeper and hit it the other way. I’ll just open up… chase… just different, little bad habits, and when I’m locked in I’m going the other way…. I’m singing at the pitches I want to swing at and the rest takes care of itself.”
READ MORE ON OPENING DAY:
On Opening Day in 2025, Bohm gave the Phillies the lead in the 10th inning with a two-run double to left-center in Washington, D.C. This came after an end to his 2024 regular season that completely countered from his start, an NLDS in which he was benched against the New York Mets in Game 2, and his first offseason of intense trade rumors. A season later, with somehow more on his personal plate, Bohm was still able to come through in Game 1 of 162.
“I know he takes a lot of… stuff,” manager Rob Thomson said Thursday. “But the guy’s going to put the ball in play, and he’s going to give you a good at-bat. He’s not going to chase, so if there are RBI situations out there, for the most part, he’s going to come through. Last year, he had some time off because of injury, so the numbers don’t reflect who he is, but I really like him in that four spot. Now with the way [Bryson] Stott is hitting behind him, it has a chance to be really effective.”
After a moment in that 2024 NLDS where Bohm was seen emotional in the dugout, he has developed an ability to ignore the noise and trust his work. He may show some sentiment after striking out or on different occasions, but it is moments like what we saw on Thursday and last year in the nation’s capital that Thomson and Bohm’s teammates keep their faith in their clean-up hitter.
“[Bohm] doesn’t need to go out there and feel like he needs to do anything [extra],” Kyle Schwarber, who hit a homer in the first inning Thursday, said in the clubhouse. “He needs to go out there and be himself. When he does that, you saw it today, he can take you oppo, he can hit a double, he’ll pull a homer. He’s such a tough out in our lineup, and I’m looking forward to getting a full season of him healthy and keeping him rolling.”
Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin has been covering Philly Sports for Philly Sports Reports since 2017. He is a podcaster, writer, and founder of Philly Sports Reports. Benjamin is also an intern at the WBCB Sports Network on 1490AM. Through Philly Sports Reports, Benjamin has gotten the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and be honored as the Philadelphia sports fan of the week for KYW News Radio. He hopes to be reporting on Philly sports as a full-time job in the future.
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