The Phillies' two youts
Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter shine in Nationals series
A crowd of 14,840 watched the Phillies lose to the Braves on April 10, 2003, six to two. Starter Joe Roa allowed four runs in five innings, while the meat of the order—Bobby Abreu, Jim Thome, and Pat Burrell—combined to go hitless in eleven at-bats.
It might go down in history as a great day for the Phils.
Andrew Patrick Painter was born on that date, about one thousand miles south of Veterans Stadium in Pompano Beach, Florida. Almost 23 years later, standing six feet seven inches tall and weighing 215 pounds, the precious little baby boy made his major league debut in Philadelphia. He pitched into the sixth inning and struck out eight while holding the Washington Nationals to one run.
He exited to a standing ovation.
In between the final game at Veterans Stadium in 2003 and 2004 Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park, another future Phillie joined the world. Amy Freeman and Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford welcomed Justin Crawford in Phoenix, Arizona.
Our second young prince debuted in the majors about a week before Painter, in the 2026 team’s first lineup. He hit a pair of singles.
On Wednesday, he drove in the winning run in extra innings to complete an electric Phillies comeback.
In most winters, excitement over the anticipated debut of even one player like Painter or Crawford would have dominated Phillies offseason discourse. This past offseason, however, fans irritated by familiar faces and longing for change viewed the two youts as a bit of a consolation prize; a new number five starter and number nine hitter when they didn’t get a new superstar in the heart of the lineup.
The excitement did build eventually, sometime before Painter struck out the first MLB batter he faced on a 97 mph fastball. And the Bank was absolutely rocking by the time Rob Thomson pulled the right-hander from the game with a three run lead.
The Phils held on for the win and avoided dropping to 1-4 on the season.
“I thought maybe [Painter would] have some nerves coming to this game, thought we’d get some better pitches to hit,” Nationals manager Blake Butera said afterwards. “That was as advertised. He's going to be a really good pitcher in this game for a long time.”
Crawford’s big moment the next day capped a win in a game that saw the Phillies down to their last strike in the ninth inning. Edmundo Sosa drove home the tying run before Crawford’s third hit won it in the tenth.
A celebration ensued.
“That was special,” Crawford told reporters. “Definitely something I’ll remember for a very long time. Very, very cool to see all the boys running out. It was a really special moment.”
It’s early, of course, but the rookie-led wins over Washington felt oddly important. Instead of dragging themselves to Colorado at 1-5, the Phils are 3-3. Perhaps more importantly, the wins felt injected some energy into a team that otherwise looked unready for the start of the season.
If the 2026 season turns out to be a special one for the Phillies, we will view the series against the Nationals as our first hints. At a minimum, the youth infusion gives fans reason to believe this year could end differently than the last several. And it’s just plain fun.
The kids let us dream. Can you imagine Painter firing a 98 mph fastball to start a game during Red October? Or Crawford making a catch like this to seal an NLCS victory over the Dodgers?
“We've been waiting for this for a while, and so have our players,” Rob Thomson said when asked about the two youts. “Whether it's Painter or Crawford, when those young guys come up, there's a lot of excitement. And guys root for them because they remember their big-league debuts. They're very excited for these guys. They bring some energy to the club.”
They sure do, Topper. And maybe they can help bring the club a championship.
Tweets and skeets of the week
Zack Wheeler continues to progress well in his return from the Phillies. His first rehab start with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs made for a fun day at Coca-Cola Park.
How about this play from Edmundo Sosa in the tenth inning on Wednesday, just moments after his game-tying hit in the ninth?
Aaron Nola and Michael Lorenzen make for a fun matchup as the Phillies and Rockies kick off their weekend series. The two have been teammates on the Phils (in 2023) and on Team Italy (in this year’s World Baseball Classic).
A dog
Look at this dog.
Thank you for reading and go Phils! If someone forwarded you this newsletter, subscribe here for free:
Yeah this needs to happen both of these young guys are talented and it's their time. I hope that they don't try to turn Crawford into a fly ball hitter.