ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Andrew Painter said he felt “pretty good” when asked if he had nerves on Thursday night. His catcher wasn’t buying it.
“He’s a liar,” Garrett Stubbs joked. “I think he was a little bit nervous.”
How could he not have been? All eyes in Allentown were on Painter as the 22-year-old top prospect made his Triple-A debut at Coca-Cola Park, officially putting him one level away from a potential big-league promotion this summer. The former first-round pick tossed three scoreless innings for Lehigh Valley in a rain-shortened, 3-1 win over Worcester.
The game was called during the seventh inning after a 29-minute rain delay that included two fans running onto the field.