Andrew Painter pitches three scoreless innings in triple-A debut, moving a step closer to joining Phillies

ALLENTOWN — The final step began on the top step.

At 6:43 p.m. Thursday, with dozens of Little Leaguers clustered on the field in front of him, the most touted Phillies pitching prospect in 20 years paused at the edge of the third-base dugout. He slapped hands with catcher Garrett Stubbs, took a breath, and jogged to the mound.

With that, finishing school was in session for Andrew Painter.

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Just another night at Coca-Cola Park? Not exactly. For the first time, it was Painter Night. Phillies director of pitching development Casey Weathers and rehab coordinator Aaron Barrett were in Lehigh Valley. So was Charlie Manuel. The IronPigs issued 22 media credentials — about 19 more than usual.

It was all for Painter’s first triple-A start, the last stop on his odyssey to what president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has suggested will probably be a “July-ish” major-league debut for the 22-year-old righty.

“Everyone knows how good he is, how good he can be,” said Stubbs, who spent the last three seasons as the Phillies’ second catcher. “I’m just excited for him, mostly.”

And there were moments against the Worcester Red Sox when Painter appeared ready to graduate. He worked three innings and piled up five strikeouts — all on curveballs. He scraped 98 mph. He opened the game by whiffing Roman Anthony, the consensus top prospect in baseball, on four pitches.

But there were other moments when Painter looked “tired,” as Stubbs said. Or like he has barely pitched since the spring of 2023. He lost contact with the strike zone in a 30-pitch third inning, loading the bases on three two-out walks before getting a pop-up to sidestep the jam.

In all, Painter threw 60 pitches in three scoreless innings.

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“I thought it was good,” Painter said after the IronPigs’ rain-shortened 3-1 victory. “Would’ve loved to go out for the fourth. Got myself into a little trouble in the third, but worked myself out of the jam. At the end of the day, I can’t complain about that.”

Consider it step one in a calculated process that will play out over the next few weeks 70 miles northwest of Citizens Bank Park. After Painter missed two seasons with a torn elbow ligament that resulted in Tommy John surgery, his innings will be limited this season. The Phillies don’t want to rush him to the majors. They also don’t want to waste his innings in the minors.

It’s a delicate needle to thread.

The Phillies kept Painter in Florida to open the season at low-A Clearwater, where he allowed five runs and struck out 12 batters in 11⅓ innings. With the weather warming here, they moved him to triple A to face more advanced competition before eventually bringing him to the majors.

Painter claimed that he wasn’t nervous, but well, leave it to Stubbs to tell it like it really was.

“He’s a liar,” Stubbs said. “I think he was a little bit nervous. But everything looked really good.”

As debuts go, this won’t compare to what awaits Painter next. But facing Anthony and fellow prized Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer in the first two batters of his first triple-A game — in front of 8,577 paying customers — was about as close as it could possibly get.

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Painter certainly seemed amped. He started Anthony with a 96.7 mph heater for a called strike and dialed it up to 98.3 mph on his third pitch, before getting Anthony to wave at a dirt-diving curveball.

Mayer hit a soft single on a cutter. Painter still got through two innings on only 30 pitches and quickly retired the first two batters in the third.

But on the way from the bullpen to the dugout before the game, Stubbs offered a reminder about what Painter will face at the highest level of the minor leagues.

“I said, ‘Look, there’s going to be at least one time during this game where something doesn’t go the way that we want it to,’” Stubbs said. “‘Whether it’s first and second, second and third, runner on second, whatever, something’s going to happen, and you’re going to have to be a man and be a competitor and figure a way out of it.’”

The adversity arrived in the third inning. Painter tried to strike out Anthony on a low-and-away cutter and a curveball on the plate. Anthony laid off both pitches before working a seven-pitch walk. Mayer walked on four pitches before Nick Sogard outlasted Painter for a seven-pitch walk.

At one point, Painter threw back-to-back changeups. He shook off Stubbs a few times.

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Stubbs thought Painter got tired. He didn’t throw more than 49 pitches in any of his starts for Clearwater. But Painter went back to the windup and, knowing that Blake Sabol would likely be his final batter, got him to pop out to first base.

“I love that he was [ticked],” Stubbs said. “He was mad that he let [Mayer and Sogard] get away. That’s him competing out there. But I was smiling because he got out of it. I was excited for him and also wanted to remind him that kind of stuff’s going to happen.”

Said Painter: “Adversity is something you always want to work yourself out of. It’s good to get in those situations. There’s no one coming to save you.”

There will be other lessons between now and his arrival in Philadelphia. That’s what these next few weeks will be about.

“I think there’s enough added pressure for Andy, and my job is to kind of make him feel as comfortable as he can be,” IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras said. “I’m excited more than anything just to see him in person against some good competition. Everybody’s obviously champing at the bit to see what that looks like.”

Take a good look, Lehigh Valley.

Before long, it will be Philly’s turn.