Phillies' Andrew Painter stacks 8 Ks, punching out James Wood twice while grabbing win over Nats in MLB debut

The paintbrushes were out on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, and Andrew Painter illustrated a masterpiece on the mound in his MLB debut for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The soon-to-be 23-year-old dipped into his palette to throw heat-seeking fastballs and colorful changeups, curveballs and sliders, scattering eight strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings in a 3-2 win over the Washington Nationals.

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Painter, a 6-foot-7 righty, allowed only one run while giving up four hits and one walk for the Phillies (2-3), who scored two of their three runs on solo homers from designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and right fielder Adolis García.

Philadelphia staked itself to a 3-0 lead before the Nationals (3-2) rallied in the sixth and seventh innings to make it a one-run game. Painter’s earned run came in after he had already received a standing ovation from the delighted Philly crowd, as CJ Abrams scored on a throwing error by García later in the frame.

The Phillies selected Painter with the 13th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Close to five years later, he made his first start for the club.

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Last year, Painter’s ERA ballooned to 5.40 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He had a hard time rediscovering his mojo and fleshing out his pitching arsenal after returning from Tommy John surgery.

This year, the most important of his professional career thus far, is off to a much better start. Painter took a step forward in spring training, and he made the leap Tuesday in his first major-league outing.

It didn’t take Painter long to reward fans who have patiently waited for him to reach this stage. In fact, he struck out the first batter he faced, 2025 All-Star James Wood.

Painter ran into some trouble in the second, when he conceded back-to-back singles to start the inning, including one to Daylen Lile, who has started the season on a five-game hitting streak. But Painter got out of that jam unscathed.

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Then the K’s began to mount. In the fifth, Painter punched out Wood again while striking out the side.

An already robust Phillies starting rotation that features Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo looks even stronger with Painter in the fold.