Hit (by pitch) man | Sports Daily Newsletter

If getting hit by a pitch is an art, then Chase Utley was Picasso. The Phillies second baseman stood his ground in the batter’s box and got plunked 204 times in his career, ranking ninth all-time. He took one for the team and got on base.

At 25, Otto Kemp is in his rookie season with the Phillies, but already he shows that Utley-like trait. Last year, Kemp was hit by pitches 29 times in 123 games. This season with Lehigh Valley and the Phillies, he has been hit 18 times.

As long as he can avoid getting hurt, why not?

“It’s kind of just always been about getting on base, trying to create havoc on the basepaths or just create runs,” Kemp says. “So any way I can do that, it just kind of developed, I would say, from college on. Our college is really big on just get on base and let the offense do its thing.”

Sometimes the offense needs it. Saturday against the Blue Jays, the Phillies scored two runs in an inning on three walks and two hit by pitches. Kemp picked up an RBI with the second plunking.

Mick Abel bounced back out of an early jam against the Marlins in the Phillies’ 5-2 series-opening win. Trea Turner and Max Kepler provided run support with a homer each.

Next: Jesús Luzardo (6-2, 4.23 ERA) is scheduled to face Miami’s Cal Quantrill (3-7, 5.61) as the Phillies play the Marlins tonight at 6:10 (NBCSP).

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, [email protected].

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❓ Which Phillies rookie had the best season you can remember? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Yankees great Don Mattingly and his son Preston sat down with Phillies Extra, the baseball show from The Inquirer, to discuss their relationship, including Don’s decision to cut short his playing career after the 1995 season to spend more time with his sons. Preston, of course, is in his first season as Phillies general manager.

Don Mattingly was 34 years old when he retired as a player with a .307 career batting average. A few more years would have helped his cause for the Hall of Fame.

“The one thing I do realize is when I retired — and I retired for reasons to be with my boys and to be able to be around them and help and be there when they were growing into high school — that I was giving up numbers, and I was giving up production that would have been in those kind of tack-on years. So, I can’t really complain. I knew what I was getting into. I chose my boys over the chance of that."

The 76ers’ season was a disaster across the board, but Ricky Council IV experienced as much strife as any player on the roster. Initially added to the team as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas, Council put forth a successful rookie season and earned a standard contract. In his second season, Council lost that momentum. He was squarely out of the rotation, even after the team shifted from contending to tanking. Now entering 2025-26 on an non-guaranteed deal, Council told The Inquirer that he knows this is his “last chance” to prove he can stick in the NBA.

How prepared are the Eagles to defend their Super Bowl title? This question likely won’t get answered until the regular season kicks off in a few months. Odds are, it might even take longer than that; a few games, perhaps, to gauge the Eagles’ 2025 potential. But one thing is for sure: NFL teams begin building their DNA and habits in the spring through organized team activities and minicamps. With the Eagles having wrapped up their workouts last week, Jeff McLane forecasts what to expect going into training camp. Listen here.

The Flyers will have a representative at next February’s Olympics, and it might not be the player you expected.

Veteran depth forward Rodrigo Ābols will be heading to Milan and Cortina, Italy, after he was announced Monday as one of Latvia’s first six players. Ābols, 29, played in 22 games for the Flyers last season after making his NHL debut in January and also played some at Lehigh Valley.

Now, we wait to see if he’ll be joined at the Games by the likes of Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland), Sam Ersson (Sweden), and Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny (Canada). The deadline to name final rosters won’t be until early January.

Which former Phillies pitcher holds the major league record for most balks in his career with 90? First with the correct answer here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Cole Hamels

B) Steve Carlton

C) Curt Schilling

D) Larry Christenson

We asked you: Which team do you have winning the Club World Cup? Among your responses:

Paris St. Germain, because the Champions League champion usually wins it. — Joel G.

Bayern Munich. Thomas Müller’s farewell celebration. — Richard V.

As full season ticket holders for the Eagles and Phillies plus attending a few Flyers & 76ers games we consider ourselves serious sports enthusiasts. Tried our best to get into soccer but Mary said it was like watching grass grow. I agreed. — Ronald R.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, Jeff McLane, Gustav Elvin, Gina Mizell, Jonathan Tannenwald, Ariel Simpson, and Gabriela Carroll.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading our newsletter. Bella will be at the controls of Sports Daily on Wednesday. — Jim