Andrew Painter throws two perfect innings in 2026 spring debut

Andrew Painter needed just 20 pitches for two clean innings on Sunday. (Cheryl Pursell)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…