Andrew Painter’s Phillies debut was ‘meant to be’ for this coach – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Andrew Painter spent the better part of three years working with Aaron Barrett, a former major league reliever who was in charge of supervising injured Phillies pitchers. Naturally, they developed a close bond. But what were the odds that Painter would make his major league debut on the 12th anniversary of Barrett’s — and against Barrett’s former team, no less? “First wins, too,” Painter said Wednesday. “Incredible.” » READ MORE: From pitching to grilling, ‘Andy’ Painter is (finally) ready to cook for the Phillies Painter was still sifting through congratulatory messages on the morning after his memorable debut — 5⅓ innings, four hits, one run, one walk, eight strikeouts in a 3-2 victory over the Nationals — when he heard from Barrett about the remarkable coincidence. “Meant to be!” Barrett wrote in a text to The Inquirer. Thirteen hours after somehow meeting, even surpassing, the expectations of the most anticipated major league debut by a Phillies pitcher since Cole Hamels 20 years ago, Painter got back to work, playing catch in the outfield before the matinee series finale against Washington. But the city was still buzzing over the 22-year-old’s first impression. “He definitely lived up to my expectations of what
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