Gore absolutely dominated an excellent Phillies lineup on Opening Day, dicing them up for 13 strikeouts in his six shutout innings, allowing just one hit and no walks. And he did it with a whole new approach that could help him solve his biggest issue so far in the majors, his struggles against left-handed hitters.

"It was the way that he moved, the power, the force, the zip, the freaking feeling of that guy," Mintz said, "and my nuclear overreaction is that that dude is freaking back. Adley Rutschman, MVP season, is upon us."

WASHINGTON — A chilly day, a spate of shadows and some dominant stuff made MacKenzie Gore unstoppable on Opening Day. The Washington Nationals left-hander struck out a career-high 13 – and set a franchise record for Opening Day punchouts – to shut out the Philadelphia Phillies for six innings Thursday.