WASHINGTON — Bryce Harper carried the bat with him to first base. He was a few steps from the bag when he finally dropped it Thursday afternoon because he knew he crushed the baseball, but he wasn’t certain it would clear the green fence at Nationals Park. No one could blame him: The Phillies had struck out 13 times in the first six innings of the season, and simple tasks like reaching second base were rendered impossible.

It cleared the wall and landed 415 feet from home plate. The Phillies were on the board in 2025 — all it took was 95 minutes after it all started.

“Definitely felt good on that swing,” Harper said after a 7-3 Phillies win over Washington in 10 innings. “It felt like it all came together right there. I was able to take an inside fastball to dead center. That felt good.”

Harper did not feel good leaving spring training; he did not homer in a month’s worth of exhibition games. There was so much talk in spring training about a familiar roster applying the required adjustments to make this work in October. But everyone in that clubhouse knows that success in this sport is fleeting and difficult to explain. They will talk for the next six months about how things will be different if they have another shot at October.

Life is all about timing. The Phillies had it in 2022 but not in 2023 or 2024. So they know what is at stake. They played 10 innings on Opening Day, a microcosm of the whole thing because they struck out 19 times and they won. No team in baseball history had won an opener while accumulating that many strikeouts.

It was a Very Phillies Opening Day.

“Obviously, we don’t want to punch out 19 times,” Harper said. “It’s kind of like, ‘All right.’ I mean, it’s not fun to do that. And we can’t do that as a team. But today, we made it happen. We made it work. And we’ll take it right now.”

One afternoon won’t quiet skeptics. Neither will one month, or even one season. That is the burden the Phillies carry by retaining almost the same lineup from a season ago.

Everyone inside the clubhouse is aware of baseball mortality.

“It’s not very often that you get to play three or four seasons in a row with the same group in professional sports like this,” said Alec Bohm, who delivered the go-ahead double in the 10th inning. “So it’s nice to be back where I’m comfortable.”

“It’s an opportunity to do it, possibly with guys that might not be here next year. Right?” Harper said. “It’s a real possibility. Obviously, I want guys back and to keep plugging along with the group. But it’s a real possibility that that won’t happen. We’re just going to play it. See how the season goes.”

Play it as it lies. That’s all these Phillies have. They are built on pitching, and they flaunted it on Opening Day. Zack Wheeler was dominant. Orion Kerkering worked around some bloop hits. José Alvarado and Matt Strahm fired strikes. Jordan Romano, the biggest bullpen addition, looked shaky. He’s permitted a hiccup to begin the season.

The lineup? There is less leeway. Manager Rob Thomson is tired of the debate about his batting order — yes, it will be different Saturday when the Phillies face a righty starter. There were moments Thursday when Thomson’s configuration was beneficial. Harper faced a righty reliever, Lucas Sims, in the seventh inning because Trea Turner and Bohm were due to bat. Harper homered. Then, when Nationals manager Davey Martinez summoned a lefty to face Kyle Schwarber, the burly slugger smashed a first-pitch fastball.

In the 10th, Martinez opted to use lefty Colin Poche because Brandon Marsh and Harper were going to hit in the inning. Harper drew a two-out walk. Bohm, with an advantageous matchup against the lefty, smacked the decisive two-run double to left-center field.

“The moment doesn’t get to him,” Thomson said.

Schwarber walked against Poche. Then, after another pitching change, J.T. Realmuto tripled home two more insurance runs. It was satisfying for Realmuto, who had struck out in his first four at-bats. No Phillie had ever struck out four times on Opening Day.

“They kept battling,” Thomson said.

There was some good among the strikeouts: Turner saw 28 pitches in five plate appearances. Schwarber was on base three times. Max Kepler doubled against a lefty, then drew walks in the ninth and 10th innings.

But, at the bottom of the lineup, the Phillies were exploited for one afternoon. Kepler and Nick Castellanos managed to ignite the eighth inning with back-to-back singles. Bryson Stott failed to advance the runners and struck out. So did Marsh. A run scored on a fortuitous wild pitch.

In the ninth, Stott had a chance to put the Phillies ahead. The bases were loaded with two outs. He worked a full count, then swung at a pitch that was probably ball four. He flied out to center.

MacKenzie Gore baffled all of them for the first six innings. Only Bob Gibson in 1967 can match Gore’s Opening Day line: 13 strikeouts, no walks, no runs allowed. The shadows were not kind to hitters in the first four or five innings; Wheeler knew it and said he wanted to mow through Washington’s hitters quickly so he could pitch with the shadow advantage as much as possible.

The Phillies don’t want to fast-forward to October because nothing is guaranteed. The beauty is in the 162-game grind with a group of guys who have experienced so much together. They will savor the victories — big and small. The Phillies entertained the idea of breaking up this lineup. They explored trades for Bohm. He’s still here, and after hours of Phillies strikeouts, he took a meaningful swing.

“He had a possibility of going somewhere else,” Harper said. “A lot of guys in here, including myself, we love that kid over there. He plays the game and plays it hard. He understands what it takes, man. He just needs to not put pressure on himself too much. Just have fun.”

It’s supposed to be fun, right? Baseball is back. No one promised it would be pretty.

(Top photo of Bryce Harper: Nick Wass / Associated Press)