PHILADELPHIA — It had been a long time since Taijuan Walker was cheered at Citizens Bank Park.

Boos from the home crowd had been a soundtrack to the right-hander’s prolonged struggles in 2024. Walker was even booed this year in spring training after getting hit hard in his final two starts, and again when he was introduced in the Phillies’ lineup before Monday’s home opener.

But as the right-hander walked off the mound Thursday after six scoreless innings in a 3-1 win to complete a sweep of the Rockies, he’d silenced the boo-birds. Some fans gave him a standing ovation as he exited.

The applause wasn’t the only thing that would have been unimaginable for the 2024 version of Walker. He made just one scoreless appearance last year, holding the Mets off for three innings on Sept. 14, after he’d been moved to the bullpen.

But Walker emerged from a strict offseason program with harder velocity — he averaged 92.8 mph on his four-seam Thursday, up from 91.5 last season — and a new, sweeping slider. Three of Walker’s 11 total whiffs Thursday came on the new pitch.

Walker allowed four hits, a walk and hit a batter, but he was able to avoid compounding mistakes. In the fifth inning, former Phillie Mickey Moniak hit a triple off the left-field wall, which came just a few feet from going out of the ballpark.

Walker walked the next batter, but then induced a flyout to escape the inning.

Meanwhile, the Phillies offense continued its streak of not scoring in the first three innings. In fact, the Phillies didn’t get on the board until the fifth inning, when Kyle Schwarber was driven home on a double from Bryce Harper.

That didn’t mean that their bats were silent early on. They racked up six singles off Colorado starter Antonio Senzatela in the first three innings. The Phillies even loaded the bases in the second, and Max Kepler came close to bucking the trend, but was narrowly thrown out on a force play at home.

Schwarber extended the lead in the seventh, crushing a solo home run 444 feet to right-center field.

J.T. Realmuto tacked on another in the eighth with some heads-up base running. Realmuto drew a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a wild pitch.

Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano each pitched a scoreless inning in relief. José Alvarado took over in the ninth and earned the save, but not without some drama.

The Rockies spoiled the shutout after Alvarado allowed a walk and a pair of singles to start the inning. He struck out the next batter, but another single loaded the bases and put the go-ahead run at first.

Alvarado, who needed 35 pitches to get out of the inning, sat down the next two batters swinging to secure the win and series sweep.

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