Andrew Painter throws two perfect innings in 2026 spring debut
Andrew Painter’s 2026 spring debut went by without him breaking a sweat.
Painter fired two scoreless innings against the Yankees on Sunday in Clearwater, needed just 20 pitches to do so. The second inning took him six pitches total with no hard contact in the air.
Painter threw 13 four-seam fastballs, averaging 96.8 mph (higher in the second inning than in the first). Some of his struggles from a year ago, when he allowed a 5.40 ERA in Triple-A, might be due to his lowered arm angle as he recovered from Tommy John Surgery, which the Phillies attributed to his fastball getting crushed. The Phillies have used the offseason and spring training to get Painter’s arm angle back up to where it was before the injury. He averaged 96.8 mph on the pitch Sunday, inducing a popup, two grounders and a lineout.
Painter struck out one, an eight-pitch punchout against Jasson Domínguez on a slider to end the first inning.
The tenor around Painter is different this spring than it was in 2023, when the Phillies were explicit that the then-19-year-old could force his way into the Opening Day big league rotation if he wowed in camp. Now, the fifth (or fourth, depending on perspective) starter job is Painter’s to lose. His prospect star remains high despite the surgery and ensuing struggles.
Painter threw 14 strikes in his 20 pitches. He threw one sweeper and slider each, both generating whiffs. There’s a long way to go between now and Opening Day, but it’s a good start for someone with plenty of attention on him in Clearwater.