PHILADELPHIA— It was a day of many firsts for the 2025 Philadelphia Phillies.
Zack Wheeler took the mound for the first time in Spring Training action. Edmundo Sosa started in left field as the Phillies began to work on expanding his role into the outfield. Additionally, it was the first time that Kyle Schwarber played first base in a Phillies uniform.
Matching up against the New York Yankees, baseball fans were in for a treat on a sunny Thursday afternoon.
Is 2025 the year for Zack Wheeler?
Since signing with Philadelphia ahead of the 2020 season, Zack Wheeler has undoubtedly been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball.
Wheeler finished runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award again in 2024, losing out to Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves. This is the second time in 4 seasons that Zack has finished second in the voting.
As he and his teammates prepare for the start of the 2025 season, Wheeler took the ball in Clearwater for the first time. He faced off against the New York Yankees and a lineup that consisted of regulars Jazz Chisholm, Anthony Volpe, and top prospect Jasson Dominguez.
Wheeler once again threw the ball with ease in his first start. Topping out at 96.8 mph, Zack was lighting up the strike zone. For the afternoon, Wheeler went 2 innings, allowing 1 hit, striking out 4, and faced 7 batters. He threw 30 pitches, 18 of which were strikes.
Today’s Takeaways
In the bottom of the first inning, Brandon Marsh had an opportunity to face LHP Carlos Rodon. It is well documented that Brandon has struggled in the lefty-lefty matchups, and last year it relegated him to a platoon role. As the Phillies try and improve their outfield’s offensive production, Marsh needs to perform in like-handed plate appearances. Marsh would rip a double to left center off Rodon, a strong sign of improvement. In his second at-bat against Rodon, Brandon would work a walk.
Getting a third at-bat against a lefty in the game, Brandon Marsh faced off against Tim Hill. The Phillies left fielder battled once again. This time, Brandon worked a 10-pitch walk against the veteran reliever. Another example of improvement for Marsh.
Johan Rojas crushed a baseball this afternoon for his first Spring Training home run. Facing Rodon, Rojas worked back from a 0-2 count. On the 7th pitch of the at-bat, he connected with a fastball into the right field berm. This gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the second.
Christian Arroyo is fighting hard for a roster spot. Arroyo was added to camp as a non-roster invitee on February 13th by the Phillies. Since then, he has proven he is a capable bench bat. His second hit of the game was an RBI single, driving home Garrett Stubbs and making it a 4-2 Phillies lead.
Edmundo Sosa drove home a run with an RBI double. This was a ball that was dropped but ruled a hit due to the difficulty of the play. He also beat out an infield single against Anthony Volpe in the 5th.
Rafael Lantigua homered in his first at-bat of the game. With two outs, he drove a ball opposite field and into the grass. At the time, it extended the Phillies lead to 6-3.
The combination of Jose Alvarado, Jordan Romano, and Orion Kerkering was stellar. The trio combined for 5 strikeouts and all set the Yankees down in order. Fireballer John McMillon shined once again with two strikeouts. McMillon has an outside chance of taking the final bullpen spot, but he should get an extended look with his performance so far.
Phillies-Red Sox Preview
Newly acquired starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo will be on the bump for the Phillies against the Boston Red Sox. The Sox will be throwing starter Garrett Crochet, whom the Phillies nearly acquired at the trade deadline in 2024. Luzardo is expected to throw around 25-30 pitches and is expected to toss two innings.
Before getting belted by a ball in Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Bryce Harper was slated to play in Friday’s Grapefruit League matchup. Other than a bruise, Harper is fully healthy and able to play if the Phillies choose to enter him in the lineup. Bryce took ground balls before Thursday’s game on the side fields with infield coach Bobby Dickerson.
The game will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.
*Photos/Videos from the Phillies-Yankees can be found on X/Twitter @MattWatsonMedia.
Mandatory Credit: Dave Nelson-Imagn Images
