CLEARWATER, Fla. — Zack Wheeler toed the rubber on a mound Thursday for the first time in more than six months.
The 21 pitches — all four-seam fastballs and sinkers — Wheeler threw at the Phillies’ Carpenter Complex marked the next major step in his journey back from Sept. 23 thoracic outlet decompression surgery. A blood clot was discovered near the right-hander’s shoulder in August.
Wheeler had been recovering well from his long toss sessions, which had extended as far as 120 feet. The Phillies identified Thursday as a potential date for his first bullpen session and decided to go for it when he came in that morning feeling good.
“The velo was good, the ball flight was good,” said manager Rob Thomson, who declined to share the radar gun readings. “Hit the glove. He was good.
“… He thought it was great. He felt great. We’ll check him [Friday] and find out how he’s feeling, and get a plan going for moving forward.”
Could Wheeler be ready to pitch in major league games in six weeks?
“Possibly,” Thomson said. “It’s new stuff, and it’s different than a lot of other injuries. We really can’t pin it down to a week or a day.”
Typically when players are built up in the spring, the schedule is two days off between bullpen sessions. Thomson hopes that Wheeler will be able to adhere to that, but because of the uniqueness of the injury and recovery process, that isn’t certain.
Thomson added that he wasn’t surprised at Wheeler’s progress so far.
“He’s worked awfully hard, and that’s the key to it,” he said. “He’s worked harder than he’s ever worked in the offseason. So it’s a really good sign. He’s strong. Shoulder’s stronger than it ever has been. So really feel good about it.”
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper and Taijuan Walker shared a laugh as they walked off the field Thursday.
Walker had just turned and fired a perfect throw to first base to pick off Nationals prospect Seaver King and end the second inning. The Phillies right-hander, making his Grapefruit League debut in Thursday’s 7-3 winover Washington, picked off five baserunners last season.
“Harp was like, ‘I wanted to yell at you so bad,’ because he saw how big his lead was,” Walker said. “I said, ‘Trust me, I saw it. Don’t worry.’”
Walker said his pickoff move has always been a strength. He practices often, but the key is knowing how to read runners and their leads. Walker noticed King take two extra steps off first base and knew he was going to try to steal, so he threw over.
In addition to flashing his trademark move, Walker took the opportunity to work on his slider and curveball on Thursday. He didn’t throw a single splitter or cutter, typically two of his best weapons. He touched 92.7 mph with his sinker.
“Been trying to work on the slider, and felt really good with it today,” he said. “Thought the shapes were really good, swings and misses, and got weak contact with it.”
Walker, who allowed one run and three hits over two innings of work, got three whiffs on his slider and two on his curve. He is set to leave Saturday to join Team Mexico for the World Baseball Classic, and is scheduled to pitch on Tuesday in an exhibition against the Diamondbacks.
Who stood out
Bryson Stott homered down the left-field line in the first inning. He drew a walk in the third and was driven home by a Harper double.
Outfield prospect Dante Nori doubled, and catcher prospect Kehden Hettiger blasted a homer to right.
José Alvarado pitched a 1-2-3 inning and recorded two strikeouts, including one of Nationals outfielder James Wood. His sinker topped out at 98.8 mph.
Tanner Banks pitched the fourth and gave up a two-run home run to Andrés Chaparro.
Jonathan Bowlan retired the side in order in the fifth. Chase Shugart induced three straight groundouts in the sixth.
Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott (center) celebrates his home run during the first inning against the Washington Nationals.
Quotable
“Working on command of the cutter, but velocity was good and the movement was good,” manager Rob Thomson said of Alvarado. “Threw his two-seamer for strikes for the most part. So that was encouraging.”
On deck
The Phillies will split up Friday, with one group hosting the Miami Marlins at BayCare Ballpark and the other headed to Lakeland, Fla., to play the Tigers (1:05 p.m., NBCSP+). Aaron Nola is scheduled to start against Miami and Jean Cabrera will start against Detroit.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Aidan Miller isn’t on social media, so it wasn’t until his father sent along a television clip last Sunday that he realized Bryce Harper told Phillies fans everywhere that he’s injured.
“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty cool,’” Miller said with a laugh Thursday. “’He’s talking about me on the broadcast.’”
If anything, it speaks to how highly the face of the Phillies thinks of the 21-year-old top prospect that the status of Miller’s sore lower back is on Harper’s mind. Soon, though, Miller hopes Harper will be talking about him more for what he does on the field.
Miller’s work largely has been confined to the training room since the Grapefruit League schedule opened last weekend. He awoke one day last week, and his back was “super tight.” The feeling didn’t subside with treatment.
“We decided to take a couple of days off to just kind of let it relax, and now I’m kind of building back,” Miller said. “I feel like I’m in a better spot than I was. It’s getting better.”
The Phillies haven’t announced a timeline for Miller’s return, but they won’t rush him back.
“I still think I’m going to get into some games toward the end,” Miller said. “It’s definitely frustrating. I feel like it’s a big camp. Just really trying to stay present. My mind’s been spiraling a little like, ‘When am I going to get into games? Is it going to be next week? The week after?’ But I’m trying to just get better every day.”
The Phillies plan to give Aidan Miller reps this spring at shortstop, third base, and second when he’s healthy.
Miller was a long shot to make the Phillies’ opening day roster. But he was expected to get reps in spring training at third base and second base, in addition to shortstop, in preparation for a potential midseason call-up.
The root of the lower back soreness is unclear, according to Miller, who said it wasn’t a specific incident on the field. He said he felt similar soreness late last season. Miller was ticketed to play in the Arizona Fall League, but the Phillies told him to stay home. At the time, farm director Luke Murton said Miller had “some nagging things physically.”
“It went away for a little bit, and I thought it was gone,” Miller said. “Structurally, there’s nothing wrong there. It’s just, I think swinging a bat 100,000 times a year, we put a little bit of a toll on it. I think it’s just finding a good routine that could help me and prevent flare-ups in the future. I’m not worried about it at all.”
Aidan Miller is out for now with a sore back, according to Rob Thomson. Bryce Harper had hinted at it earlier on his TV interview.
Miller, whose spring training locker is sandwiched between those of Harper and J.T. Realmuto, said he has asked older teammates about best practices for dealing with similar issues.
“They’re texting people for me and trying to help me out,” Miller said. “They’ve been a huge help, just kind of bouncing questions off them.”
Miller, the Phillies’ first-round draft pick in 2023, has shot through the farm system over the last two years. Last season, he batted .264 with 27 doubles, 14 homers, 59 stolen bases, and an .825 OPS between double-A Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Here at Sports Daily, we’re suckers for inspirational stories about people in sports. Fresh off Wednesday’s coverage of Zack Wheeler’s return, here is another.
Those who are plugged in to Philly hoops know the names of Brad and Brian Wanamaker, the twins who led Roman Catholic to the Catholic League championship in 2007. Brad went on to star at Pittsburgh and played in the NBA. Brian’s path took to him to Texas Wesleyan, an NAIA school where he starred and returned to coach. He is a success as Rams coach now, but he is also in the fight of his life.
Brian Wanamaker was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer, in 2022. His treatment has not stopped him from giving his all to his team. His players are inspired by him for sure.
“The vets feel like if Coach is giving his all, with his chemo, we should give it our all every day in practice and every day on the court,” says Khalil Turner, a Philly native who plays for Wanamaker on the team in Texas. “He’s going above and beyond for us, so we should do the same.”
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (left) and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey have squared off since childhood.
What began as a woeful three-game Sixers road trip quickly flipped into a successful one. They snapped a four-game skid by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, then took care of business against the shorthanded and tanking Indiana Pacers. As they return home tonight to face the Miami Heat (7 p.m., NBCSP), the most encouraging development for the Sixers is that Tyrese Maxey is officially humming again. He has scored 39 and 32 points in his last two games.
Gina Mizell offers some takeaways from the road trip, including Maxey’s friendly rivalry with Minnesota star Anthony Edwards, which goes back to grade school.
The Tush Push was less effective for the Eagles in 2025. That’s one reason leaders within the league think the NFL has cooled on banning it.
Despite previous leaguewide critiques regarding player safety and aesthetics, the Tush Push could be poised to live another season. The Packers sought to ban the Eagles’ signature sneak with a rule change proposal that failed last March, but Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that his team has no plans to try again.
Maybe the critics of the Tush Push have lost interest because the Eagles aren’t very good at it anymore. They tried a league-high 33 push sneaks last season and converted 21, a 64% success rate. The league average is 73.8%.
Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly oversees infield drills with first baseman Bryce Harper in Clearwater, Fla.
After a drill on Wednesday, Don Mattingly conferred with Bryce Harper. The Hitman and The Showman. Imagine being a fly on the wall for that.
The Phillies didn’t hire Mattingly to be their bench coach because of the effect he could have on any one player. But they do believe he will bring a different form of credibility to a coaching staff that is well-regarded within the sport but light on major-league playing experience.
And Harper and Mattingly are both chasing something that has eluded them during their long careers: a World Series championship.
Brad Keller was efficient in his spring debut with his new team, and Alec Bohm stood out in the field and at the plate in a win over the Tigers.
Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim had an impressive Olympics playing for Team Canada in Milan.
Travis Sanheim was back with the Flyers on Wednesday after a couple of productive weeks in Italy with Team Canada. The blueliner did himself proud, winning a silver medal and having a strong tournament.
While Sanheim said ending up with silver stings, he believes there are aspects from the experience that he can bring back with him to help the Flyers.
Speaking of Flyers defensemen, Oliver Bonk hopes to follow in Sanheim’s footsteps with Canada at the Olympic Games. Jackie Spiegel caught up with the Flyers’ top defensive prospect last week to check on his transition to pro hockey.
The Flyers returned from the break with a 3-1 loss to the Capitals in Washington. Noah Cates scored the only goal for Rick Tocchet’s team.
Sports snapshot
Frankie Westfield on the ball during the Union’s first Concacaf Champions Cup game against Defence Force FC.
Banged up: Frankie Westfield is among three Union players dealing with injuries ahead of tonight’s home game against Defence Force FC.
Members of the United States Olympic hockey team, goalie Connor Hellebuyck in front, attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
The U.S. men’s hockey team won Olympic gold in dramatic, heartwarming fashion Sunday, but our sitting president immediately spoiled the afterglow as they celebrated in Italy. Still, most of Team USA accepted an invitation to visit the White House. They met with Trump on Tuesday afternoon and attended the State of the Union address that night. All of this set social media and TV talk shows on fire: How dare they? Which is exactly what Trump wanted. More from Marcus Hayes.
Last season, there wasn’t a lonelier lot in life than to be a Phillies superstar standing on first, second, or third. Only four players in the majors reached base as many times as Bryce Harper did and scored fewer runs. The 72 runs he did score were the fewest of his career in a season with at least 500 plate appearances. … Not since E.T. have we seen someone with such otherworldly attributes struggle this hard to get home. More from David Murphy.
What you’re saying about comebacks
We asked: What’s your favorite athlete comeback story? Among your responses:
Embiid has certainly been more solid this year when he plays, however my favorite is Tiger Woods. He came back from back and knee surgeries to win the Masters. He’s working hard again to play the Masters this year. Will a miracle happen again? We’ll see. — Tom G.
Here are 2 inspirational comeback stories that resonate strongly for me. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a nearly fatal cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game in January 2023. He miraculously returned to play the following year and eventually became a starter. In 2003, Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton was bitten by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing in Hawaii when she was 13. She lost her left arm as well as 60% of her blood. Incredibly, she returned to surfing just 26 days after the attack, and began competing again professionally the next year. So much for “time management.” — Stephen T.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has returned to playing after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field.
For me, it’s not the comeback from an injury, but rather come back — two words. It was when Dick Allen came back to Philadelphia. No more powerful, emotional, uplifting, soul-cleansing moment I can recall. It still resonates with me after all these years. — Tony R.
Hard to top the 2004, down 0-3, Red Sox in the [World Series] against the dominant Yankees, but came back to win 4 straight and finally end the Curse of the Bambino. Regarding Philly sports, I would pick backup QB Nick Foles who took over for injured Wentz and took the Eagles through the playoffs and on to their 1st ever Super Bowl win over Tom Terrific and the favored Patriots and even added the now famous Philly Special. — Everett S.
You know a procedure to fix your injury is so innovative when it is named after you. Tommy John is the patron saint of the elbow surgery that is ubiquitous in baseball. After the surgery in 1975, many thought that he would never pitch again and that his 10-year major league baseball career was over. But he returned in 1976 and went on to have 14 more years and post 164 of his career 288 victories. — Joseph W.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, David Murphy, Alex Coffey, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Gabriela Carroll, Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, and Jonathan Tannenwald.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thanks for reading Sports Daily. I’ll see you in Friday’s newsletter. — Jim
During the recent Olympic break, the Flyers called up a few youngsters to fill out their roster for a series of practices.
One of those players was top defensive prospect Oliver Bonk, who is finally settling in with Lehigh Valley after an upper-body injury cost him all of training camp and delayed the start of his pro career until mid-December. The Inquirer caught up with Bonk last Thursday for an interview to discuss his frustrating start to the season, his adaptation to the pro game in the minors, and much more.
While Bonk said he was frustrated that his injury prevented him from competing to make the NHL roster, he said, “you can’t dwell on bad stuff” and that he is “just trying to get back up [to the NHL] for me has been the only objective.”
Bonk said he takes notes of things that he wants to work on in a journal and then targets two or three things to focus on before and after practices that week until he improves at them.
The Flyers defenseman called watching former London teammate and close friend Denver Barkey “awesome,” adding that he’s been “playing unreal” since his call-up to the Flyers.
During the recent Olympic break, the Flyers called up a few youngsters to fill out their roster for a series of practices.
One of those players was top defensive prospect Oliver Bonk, who is finally settling in with Lehigh Valley after an upper-body injury cost him all of training camp and delayed the start of his pro career until mid-December. The Inquirer caught up with Bonk last Thursday for an interview to discuss his frustrating summer, his adaptation to the pro game in the minors, and much more.
Q: To start, what has this year been like for you?
A: Yeah, I mean, it’s been a learning year. Trying to, even after the rehab, trying to learn how to take care of my body better, and learning how to play pro hockey. Learning how to be a good player up there and not just being an average player up there. You want to be the best so you can make it back up [to the NHL]. So I think just learning all about that, how to be a pro, and kind of just learning as I go along.
Q:Are you someone who prefers to watch tape?
A: I like watching, especially after games. I like watching the clips. Some guys get focused on what they messed up and keep looking at that, but I just kind of let that go. Everyone’s going to make mistakes. It’s hockey, it’s not a perfect game. It’s never going to be. I’m not striving to be perfect every time I’m out there; just improving every time and making sure I’m making the right [reads] and then not making the same mistakes over again.
Q: What’s the transition been like for you to the pro game, especially after not playing until early December?
A: Yeah, it was a tough first 10 games, until I started kind of feeling like fully myself again. So it was definitely a learning curve there. But I think now, I’m kind of back to the way I want to play, and just improving my game every day and feeling good about myself. So it was tough at the start, but I think I’m on a good path right now.
Oliver Bonk (orange jersey) spent a few days last week practicing with the Flyers during the Olympic break.
Q: Is there anything you are particularly focused on improving?
A: There’s a lot. Every week, I kind of try to work on different things, whether it’s closing guys off with speed one week, or it’s hard passes, or it’s hand-eye coordination. Every week’s got something different, which is kind of different than in Junior. You mess around in practice and whatever; you shoot a couple of pucks, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, great.’ So I think it’s a lot different. It makes me excited to come to the rink every day, knowing that every week I’ve got something different planned, and something else to work on. So it’s good.
Q: You mentioned at development camp in July that you wanted to make the NHL team. How hard was it when the injury happened to reset how the year was going to go?
A: It’s tough. I thought I had a chance to make the team, and I believed that I could do it. But a setback, and now you’re starting the season off in the AHL — and still a very good league with very good players. So I think it’s just, it happened, and there’s really nothing you can do about it. But just like I said before, you can’t dwell on bad stuff that happens. It’s never going to help you. So I think just trying to get back up here, for me, has been the only objective, and just keep working at that every day.
Q: Two years ago, you had 67 points in 60 games. Last season, it was 40 in 52. Do you feel like your game has a good balance now?
A: I still try to work on both [sides of the puck] the most you can. After my draft year, I scored the 24 goals, and then the year after, it kind of slowed down. Our power play didn’t do as well, but we won the [Memorial] Cup, so I must have been doing something well. … People will say whatever they want, and, ‘Oh, you can’t put up points,’ and whatever. But we won and that was the biggest thing for me that year. I didn’t score 20-whatever goals, but we ended up winning the Memorial Cup and the OHL, so I think obviously we must have been doing something right there.
Q: You have just over 20 games left this season, so what will be your focus?
A: I think it’s just playing the best I can for the team. Doing the most I can, give them the best effort every night to help us win. And play how I want to play, not just one side of the puck, but be a real 200-foot player that can be versatile and in any situation and stuff like that. So I think that’s the focus for me.
During the recent Olympic break, the Flyers called up a few youngsters to fill out their roster for a series of practices.
One of those players was top defensive prospect Oliver Bonk, who is finally settling in with Lehigh Valley after an upper-body injury cost him all of training camp and delayed the start of his pro career until mid-December. The Inquirer caught up with Bonk last Thursday for an interview to discuss his frustrating summer, his adaptation to the pro game in the minors, and much more.
Q: To start, what has this year been like for you?
A: Yeah, I mean, it’s been a learning year. Trying to, even after the rehab, trying to learn how to take care of my body better, and learning how to play pro hockey. Learning how to be a good player up there and not just being an average player up there. You want to be the best so you can make it back up [to the NHL]. So I think just learning all about that, how to be a pro, and kind of just learning as I go along.
Oliver Bonk (orange jersey) spent a few days last week practicing with the Flyers during the Olympic break.
Q: Are you someone who prefers to watch tape?
A: I like watching, especially after games. I like watching the clips. Some guys get focused on what they messed up and keep looking at that, but I just kind of let that go. Everyone’s going to make mistakes. It’s hockey, it’s not a perfect game. It’s never going to be. I’m not striving to be perfect every time I’m out there; just improving every time and making sure I’m making the right [reads] and then not making the same mistakes over again.
Q: What’s the transition been like for you to the pro game, especially after not playing until December?
A: Yeah, it was a tough first 10 games, until I started kind of feeling like fully myself again. So it was definitely a learning curve there. But I think now, I’m kind of back to the way I want to play, and just improving my game every day and feeling good about myself. So it was tough at the start, but I think I’m on a good path right now.
Q: Is there anything you are particularly focused on improving?
A: There’s a lot. Every week, I kind of try to work on different things, whether it’s closing guys off with speed one week, or it’s hard passes, or it’s hand-eye coordination. Every week’s got something different, which is kind of different than in Junior. You mess around in practice; you shoot a couple of pucks, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, great.’ So I think it’s a lot different. It makes me excited to come to the rink every day, knowing that every week I’ve got something different planned, and something else to work on. So it’s good.
Q: Do you plan that out, or is it in consultation with someone like defense coach Nick Schultz?
A: No, it’s just kind of whatever I make up. I have a notebook of things that you do and things that need improving and you just go every week. You don’t want to change it every day, because you want to kind of have a steady look of how you’re improving. So last week, maybe hand-eye coordination, trying to bat down two-on-ones, and stuff like that. So you just focus on that for a week, and you kind of see how, by the end of the week, you’re more comfortable, you’re better doing it.
Q: You mentioned you keep a journal. After games, do you jot things down to track your development?
A: It’s more like, this week you work on this, this, this; three things you want to work on after practice, a couple of things before practice. You just bang that out during the week, and then next week, you can reset and see what you didn’t do well that week, and maybe improve on that.
Q: Do you talk to your father, former NHLer Radek Bonk, about what to work on to get ideas?
A: We talk about it, and we always talk pretty much every day. Like about practice and what he thought about the game and stuff like that. But I think most of it’s got to come from me. I definitely lean on him heavily … he’s my dad, and he’s here to support me, but I got to kind of figure it out because he’s not coaching me anymore, and he’s not always here with me, so I kind of got to figure it out on my own what I got to improve on.
Q: You mentioned at development camp in July that your focus was on making the NHL team. How hard was it when the injury happened to reset how the year was going to go?
A: It’s tough. I thought I had a chance to make the team, and I believed that I could do it. But a setback, and now you’re starting the season off in the AHL — and still a very good league with very good players. So I think it’s just, it happened, and there’s really nothing you can do about it. But just like I said before, you can’t dwell on bad stuff that happens. It’s never going to help you. So I think just trying to get back up here, for me, has been the only objective, and just keep working at that every day.
Q: You said in September you gained 15 pounds of muscle, and then the other day you mentioned that you gained a little bit of weight when out with the injury. How hard was it to get back into game shape when you hadn’t played a game since June 1?
A: I mean, there’s shape, but then there’s game shape. Every hockey player knows that once you get on the ice, it’s so much harder. It’s so much different when you get on the ice. And even just, from being on the ice and practicing, doing your rehab skate is tough, but then playing is a whole different thing. I did a lot of conditioning when I was here, but I still had a bit of weight. And then once you start playing, the five pounds that I lost, and I started to just feel a bit quicker and a bit more explosive and a bit better. So it’s not like I’m losing, like 15, 10 pounds, it’s not like going like that; it’s just little increments. But I feel like I lost five pounds, and it really helps.
A first-round pick in 2023, Oliver Bonk missed most of the offseason with an upper-body injury. He made his professional debut in December.
Q: When John Tortorella was here, he mentioned your pace of play as an issue. Do you feel like you’re learning to play with better pace in the AHL and getting reps at that speed?
A: Yeah. Our team, we try to play the same way as Philly and do the same stuff. We’re not as skilled, obviously, because we’re in the AHL, but I mean, we try to do the same stuff and play the same way and play a pace game, trying to score off the rush and do all that stuff. So I think it’s a big thing that [Phantoms coach John Snowden] has been on us too, like, move the puck up and try to just get up, get in the rush. Don’t just hold it, because then the forwards are crossing and it’s annoying for them. So yeah, it’s definitely been a big thing of focus for all the [defensemen] this year in Lehigh.
Q: Two years ago, you had 67 points in 60 games. Last season, it was 40 in 52. Do you feel like your game has a good balance now?
A: I still try to work on both [sides of the puck] the most you can. After my draft year, I scored the 24 goals, and then the year after, it kind of slowed down. Our power play didn’t do as well, but we won the [Memorial] Cup, so I must have been doing something well. … People will say whatever they want, and, ‘Oh, you can’t put up points,’ and whatever. But we won and that was the biggest thing for me that year. I didn’t score 20-whatever goals, but we ended up winning the Memorial Cup and the OHL, so I think obviously we must have been doing something right there.
Q: You and Denver Barky know each other well from London. What’s it like watching him in the NHL now?
A: Well, it was great to see him in Lehigh, and I was excited to spend the season with him, and then he gets called up right away. So, there’s still guys at Lehigh, but [Ty] Murchison got hurt, and then [Hunter] McDonald got called up, so I’m like there’s no more young guys to hang out with. But, yeah, it’s great. It’s awesome seeing him here, and he’s playing unreal, and he’s a great player. But we miss him, definitely, in Lehigh, but it was great to see him here, and great to see how he’s learning and blossoming. It’s awesome.
Q: You have just over 20 games left this season, so what will be your focus?
A: I think it’s just playing the best I can for the team. Doing the most I can, give them the best effort every night to help us win. And play how I want to play, not just one side of the puck, but be a real 200-foot player that can be versatile and in any situation and stuff like that. So I think that’s the focus for me.
Q: Flyers assistant coach Todd Reirden was saying he had some drills last week that were specifically designed to see where you and McDonald were at. How did those go?
A: Yeah, we went through it [last Thursday], and he had video clips of the practice yesterday. But he had a couple of ones testing how well we’re going to react to the speed here. He was giving the forwards all the speed that they wanted, and then coming down on us. So it was a test for us, but I think we both did pretty well. And yeah, it’s just another thing to learn. And stuff is so much quicker, even from here to the AHL. It’s more on the tape, quicker, better players. So I think it’s another thing to get used to and another thing to learn.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — For 30 minutes Wednesday, on the half-field adjacent to the Phillies’ clubhouse, Larry Bowa flipped baseballs to Bobby Dickerson, who hit one-hoppers and choppers and line drives at Bryce Harper.
Over and over. Again and again.
Ninety feet from Harper, a nine-time Gold Glove-winning first baseman and former captain of the Yankees stood with a glove on his right hand and a paper folded lengthwise in his back pocket. He didn’t say much. Mostly, he observed.
Then, after the drill, Don Mattingly conferred with Harper.
“I mean, it’s Donnie Baseball,” Harper said, smiling. “I grew up a Yankee fan, so knowing he played first base in the Bronx and had a great, storied career in the Bronx and was one of the best first basemen to ever do it, I have such a respect for him and the way he went about it.”
The admiration is mutual.
“He’s going on his 15th year, and I’m like, ‘Wow,’” Mattingly said. “I had a decent career, but I don’t know if I really can talk about some of the things that he can do. Because he can do things that, I think he’s kind of that Barry Bonds-type guy. It’s different.”
Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (right) has an appreciation for the career of new bench coach Don Mattingly (center).
OK, let’s move beyond the pleasantries — and Mattingly’s modesty about a Hall of Fame-worthy playing career in New York — and get to what Mattingly and Harper can do for each other, notably winning the World Series championship that has eluded both.
The Phillies didn’t hire Mattingly to be their bench coach because of the effect he could have on any one player. But they do believe he will bring a different form of credibility to a coaching staff that is well-regarded within the sport but light on major league playing experience.
Harper has solid relationships with manager Rob Thomson and especially hitting coach Kevin Long and Dickerson, the infield coach who slings grounders with a fungo bat and a roux of encouragement and trash talk through a Mississippi drawl. All are good at their jobs. None played a day in the majors.
But Mattingly was the face of baseball back when baseball could still call itself the national pastime. A word from him surely resonates differently with Harper, among the biggest stars in the sport for a decade and a half.
“We have such a good staff, and to be able to bring him in and be part of that, he’s just going to make us that much better,” Harper said. “Being able to have a guy on the staff — and no disrespect to anybody — that has done it at the highest of levels, it’s so good to be able to bounce stuff off of him.”
Two weeks into camp, Mattingly said he’s still getting a feel for everyone, including Harper. He isn’t the hitting coach or the infield instructor. Long and Dickerson have those areas covered. But he’s a fresh set of eyes on a staff that has been together since Thomson took over as manager in 2022.
And after two weeks of watching pitcher fielding practice, live batting practice, and baserunning drills, peeking on hitters in the cage, and offering feedback to Thomson and the coaches, Mattingly has a few observations.
“I like the way guys work here,” he said. “It’s concentrated when they’re in the cage, and the work’s been good on the field for pitchers. It’s not like you’re coming in here to a 96-win team and try to say, ‘You guys should be doing this, this, or this.’ It’s a really good club.
“You’re just trying to find the details of how do you get a little bit better?”
Marginal improvements could make the difference between the Phillies losing three games by a total of four runs to the Dodgers in the divisional round and advancing to the NL Championship Series.
Phillies bench coach Don Mattingly (left) talks with first baseman Bryce Harper in Clearwater, Fla., on Monday.
In the case of Harper, who will play this season at age 33, Mattingly’s influence could help extend his peak.
Harper was still in diapers when Mattingly retired in 1995. But as a baseball obsessive with an appreciation for the sport’s past, Harper has studied highlights — “ESPN Century, all that kind of stuff,” he said — from Mattingly’s career.
“The little crouched-down stance,” Harper said. “Bat-to-ball skills were unbelievable. The short porch [in right field at Yankee Stadium] was really good for him. But just a doubles machine that knew how to hit.“
Mattingly hit it off with star infielder Bo Bichette in his last job as bench coach of the Blue Jays. Last season, Bichette batted .311 with 44 doubles, 18 homers, and a 129 OPS-plus.
“I think they really came together, and you saw Bo have the great year that he had,” Harper said. “Probably learned a lot of stuff from Donnie and what he does. It’s no coincidence.
“And I love being coached. I don’t care where I’m at or how old I am. I love being coached at the highest level by guys like him because just an ounce of information from him could change the dynamic of somebody’s career. I think everybody should have an open mind and open ears to him.”
Harper is 3-10 in 13 career postseason series. The Nationals famously won the World Series one year after Harper joined the Phillies.
Mattingly is chasing something similar. A year after he retired from playing, the Yankees began their run of four World Series championships in five years. He managed the Dodgers before they became a dynasty. The Blue Jays just lost in Game 7 of the World Series.
After 14 seasons as a player, 12 as a manager, and 10 as a coach, Mattingly is still aiming to win a World Series.
With a talented Phillies lineup, Don Mattingly says, “You’re just trying to find the details of how do you get a little bit better.”
Maybe Harper can help with that.
They’re still getting to know each other. Mattingly’s early observations include Harper’s attention to detail in the batting cage and solid footwork around first base. Harper will leave camp Saturday to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic. Upon his return, the work with Mattingly will continue.
“He’s a different animal than almost anybody else as far as, he’s been here for a long time, still in great shape, still big-time bat speed,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy that has a chance to win a Gold Glove, in my mind. I’ve had different first basemen, and he’s as good as any.
“Sometimes I think guys like that, you start to take for granted how good they are. And that’s what I think about with him. That doesn’t mean you don’t try to get better in different areas. But he’s going to have a pile of numbers there that, as he gets toward the end of his career, people are going to be going, ‘Holy [bleep], this guy’s been incredible.’”
A mid-career boost from Donnie Baseball can’t hurt.
It’s common advice, Brandon Graham said, to plan out what you’re going to do after you retire while you’re still playing pro sports.
You never know when your career will be over, the Eagles defensive end said. Just take it from him — Graham retired at the end of the 2024 season, then decided to come back midway through the 2025 campaign.
But it’s easier said than done to plan for later while you’re still in the game. Being a professional athlete takes up a massive amount of time and mental energy, and their bubble is often made up primarily of people who play their sport.
Enter Pro Athlete Community, an organization dedicated to supporting professional athletes across all sports as they transition into post-playing careers. Graham, 37, got involved with the organization in its early stages in 2018, just after the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win.
“When we won, when I finally got out of that label, I started to really take it seriously and try to make sure that I have something to look forward to when I’m done, so that I won’t be behind the eight ball on that,” Graham said.
PAC claims to be like “the locker room outside the locker room.” Through group conferences and networking events, it connects active and retired pro athletes with business leaders and career fields that are interested in bringing pro athletes into the fold.
One of the discussions that resonated most with Graham was on real estate investing, and finding a way to continue to generate income without working a 9-to-5 job. Through PAC, he has started making connections with people who make their money through investments, and learning about how to manage those opportunities.
“For me, I don’t want to be locked up in a job,” Graham said. “I’ve been locked up in the job for a long time. It’s been a good job, don’t get me wrong, playing, but it’s stressful, too, and then on top of that, I’ve got kids, so I want to be available to them.”
Eagles pass rusher Jaelan Phillips has been involved with PAC since his rookie season. He played for the Miami Dolphins when the Dolphins Business Combine expanded beyond the organization to become what is now PAC in 2022.
Getting involved with the organization so early was key for Phillips, 26, because PAC was not only useful for him to learn about what comes after football but for what he does off the field during his NFL career.
When Phillips suffered a torn ACL in 2024, he spent the recovery period doing a business fellowship with PAC, working to organize events and engage more athletes.
“It’s really cool to be able to go to these combines and see and hear athletes that you’ve heard of,” Phillips said. “Maybe you know them personally, maybe you don’t, but you might, after 20 minutes, [you] figure out that, ‘Man, I have a lot in common with this guy.’”
Jaelan Phillips came to the Eagles from the Dolphins in a deal at the trade deadline in November.
From there, Phillips said, he has made new friends and business connections. Retired athletes, like former NFL players and twins Devin and Jason McCourty, who are on the board of the organization, regularly share their paths and provide support for PAC members.
And because of the unique skill set of pro athletes, business leaders are especially excited about the prospect of bringing them in.
“It’s not just like this conceptual idea of, ‘Oh, go to PAC and learn a bunch of things,” Phillips said. “I’ve actually seen it firsthand, where people start to take action and start to do some really cool things based on the information and the people they’ve met at PAC.”
Bryce Lindsay isn’t very superstitious, so he didn’t take Kevin Willard up a few weeks ago when the Villanova coach suggested maybe he should reorient himself in bed and sleep a different way.
Lindsay did, however, take Willard and his family and support staff up on their advice in recent days. Lindsay was 13-for-65 from three-point range in the 11 games that preceded his 15-point effort, behind four triples, last week in an overtime road win over Xavier. The redshirt sophomore guard carried Villanova at times through its nonconference schedule, but being the focus of the opposing team’s scouting report was taking its toll.
“They’re telling me, ‘Go out there and be you,’” Lindsay said Wednesday night after Villanova’s 82-73 win over Butler. “‘Don’t think too much. Focus on defense, focus on the other things, and your shot will come.’”
Lindsay scored 19 points Wednesday and helped Villanova get to 22-6 on the season and 13-4 in Big East play. He went 2-for-6 from three-point range and was 6-for-14 from the field overall and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. It was Lindsay’s first time making six shots in a game since a Jan. 3 road win at Butler. He made six or more in eight of Villanova’s first 14 games before a 13-game drought.
Villanova has fared just fine despite Lindsay’s prolonged slump. But there’s no denying how much easier the offense comes when Lindsay — who shot 40.8% from deep at James Madison last season — is filling it up.
Bryce Lindsay and Villanova are third in the Big East behind St. John’s and UConn.
It did take a bit for Lindsay to understand that there was more to impacting a game than just making shots. This was the first real slump he remembers going through. He had some off shooting nights at JMU last season, but things never snowballed the way they did in recent weeks.
“That was probably one of the hardest things I have ever went through in my life,” Lindsay said. “I’ve never, ever played that bad until now. It comes with the game. When you’re the No. 1 player on the scout, they’re going to try to take you away and that’s what they did. I’m just figuring out ways to maneuver through that.”
Willard would certainly disagree with Lindsay’s assessment of his play, and he spent recent weeks trying to build him up and remind him of that when he noticed Lindsay’s frustration showing up in his body language.
“Sometimes when you’re a shooter and you’re not shooting good and you’re standing on the court and you’re thinking about it, it’s like the worst thing you can do,” Willard said. “Just trying to get them to focus on all of the positive stuff.
“There are times on the floor where he’s plus-8, plus-9, but he’s 0-for-4. You can see his body language. You can see everything going down. But your team is playing well when you’re out there.”
Lindsay, who is averaging 14.3 points over the last three games, was plus-12 in 31 minutes Wednesday night. The advanced stats show a team that has a much better net rating in conference play with Lindsay on the floor.
“In my head I feel like I was playing bad, but in their head I’m not playing bad because [of] the stats, my plus-minus is good,” Lindsay said. “I was always able to make shots, but when I don’t see the ball go in it’s hard.
“These past few games I tried not to focus on it as much.”
His effort Wednesday helped Villanova bounce back from Saturday’s deflating loss to No. 6 UConn in front of a sold-out Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Wildcats built a 14-point halftime lead but started sloppily in the second half and allowed Butler to climb back into the game. The lead was one before Lindsay extended it back to three with a layup with more than eight minutes to play. He again scored inside to bump an eight-point lead back to double digits with four minutes to go, then helped seal the game with four free throws inside the final two minutes.
The fact that Lindsay scored all 10 of his second-half points inside the arc is a positive sign, too. It seemed at times that he was becoming too reliant on shooting threes in trying to break out of his slump.
“Just focusing on other things,” Lindsay said when asked how he navigated it all. “My defense, my rebounding …”
Willard, who was seated at the postgame podium between Lindsay and Devin Askew — who scored 16 points Wednesday — leaned over as Lindsay went on with his answer and circled a stat on the sheet in front of Lindsay.
Focused on rebounding? Lindsay had zero rebounds Wednesday.
The player and coach shared a laugh. After six weeks of slumping, Bryce Lindsay can finally smile.
St. Joseph’s coach Steve Donahue said following a win over Loyola Chicago on Saturday that his Hawks may not shoot well for all 40 minutes, but they would do everything else well.
The Hawks showed what could happen if they played a complete game against George Mason on Wednesday night at Hagan Arena.
St. Joe’s (18-10, 10-5 Atlantic 10) clicked on both ends of the floor, knocking down 11 three-pointers while forcing 11 turnovers in an 81-63 win over the Patriots. In a game to help decide which team receives a double-bye in next month’s A10 tournament, George Mason (21-7, 9-6) had no answers.
“We can be unstoppable, honestly,” said guard Derek Simpson. “I think the biggest part with us is being on the same page.”
Khaafiq Myers drives on George Mason’s Kory Mincy during the first half on Wednesday. Myers scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Statistical leaders
St. Joe’s shot 51.6%, led by Simpson (23 points) and Jaiden Glover-Toscano (21). It is the second straight game the Hawks have had two players score 20 or more points.
The Hawks also limited the Patriots to 39.7% shooting. They trailed for just 36 seconds to send George Mason home with its fourth straight loss.
What we saw
The Hawks went down 2-0 in the first minute of the game and never trailed again.
With the game tied at 10, St. Joe’s guard Austin Williford drained a three-pointer to kickstart a 13-0 run, which included back-to-back threes from Glover-Toscano for a 23-10 lead with 11:09 left in the first half.
The Patriotsscored just 11 points in the first 11 minutes of the first half
“We want to get loose,” Simpson said. “I feel like we didn’t do that the last game. We weren’t able to get out and have fun. I feel like we slowed the pace a lot. We were dead in the legs and stuff like that. But today we said we weren’t going to do that.”
The Hawks went into halftime with a 44-25 lead after going on a 21-8 run over the final 8:48 of the first half.
George Mason didn’t fare much better in the second half.
The Hawks shot 51.7% from the floor in the second half. They used their pace to stifle the defense with 22 fastbreak points and got 15 points off turnovers.
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham watches St. Joe’s take on George Mason on Wednesday night.
Game-changing play
Playing in his second game since missing two, St, Joe’s guard Khaafiq Myers scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
George Mason trimmed the lead to 66-49 with 8:13 left in the game, but the Hawks were still looking for extra cushion. Myers helped, drilling a three with guard Devin Booker in his face and on the ensuing Patriots’ possession, he hauled in a defensive rebound and passed to Simpson for a dunkto go up 71-49 with 7:33 remaining.
“I thought [Myers] was terrific tonight, and that’s another thing,” Donahue said. “Our offense really needs someone to just push it and get somebody else an easy basket. He did that tonight.”
Up next
St. Joe’s will hit the road to face Rhode Island (15-12, 6-8) on Saturday (noon,ESPN+).
WASHINGTON ― It feels like it’s been 84 years since the Flyers last played an NHL game.
On Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals, they kicked off the final 26 games of the season. Entering the night, Philly sat four points back of Washington — with three games in hand — and eight points back of a playoff spot.
By the end of the night, the Flyers were six points back of Washington, after losing 3-1 at the Capital One Arena. They remain eight points back of the idle New York Islanders and Boston Bruins, and have a game in hand on the Islanders.
Trevor van Riemsdyk scored the decisive goal, giving the Capitals a 2-1 lead with 5 minutes, 52 seconds left in regulation. Off the rush, Declan Chisholm dropped the puck to Aliaksei Protas and got it back near the left post. He then hit van Riemsdyk, the brother of former Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk, as he crashed the net.
As coach Rick Tocchet noted postgame, the Flyers came out with some pep in their step to start the game. “The first nine minutes we were dominating,” he said. But they were unable to capitalize until the third period, when Noah Cates deflected a shot by Travis Sanheim 29 seconds in.
Rasmus Ristolainen applied pressure, creating a turnover to Matvei Michkov, who found Bobby Brink. The winger carried it down into the left face-off circle before hitting Sanheim for the quick shot, which Cates deflected past goalie Logan Thompson. Cates tied the game at one — and ended an 18-game goal drought.
“I didn’t like my January,” said Cates, whose last goal came Dec. 30. “I thought the team struggled as well, and I feel like when I struggle, the team struggles. You just want to get out of it and get going.
“So to get that goal and feel good about our line, we were making some plays and just playing the right way, playing how we can play with Bobby [Brink] and [Michkov]. So, yeah, good to get going.”
The trio had several other chances, notably in the third period when Brink, while under pressure, sent a cross-crease pass to Michkov alone at the right post. Thompson robbed him of a sure goal as he stretched across and made a toe save. According to Natural Stat Trick, when they were on the ice at five-on-five, the Flyers had 10 shot attempts, a game-high 1.05 expected Goals For, and nine scoring chances.
Philly did put 24 shots on Thompson, with 18 coming in the first two periods, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Dan Vladař kept them in the game all night.
The goaltender told The Inquirer on Sunday that he “wasn’t the best” in his one game at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, a 6-3 win against France, when he allowed the trio of goals on 12 shots for Czechia. So maybe he had something to prove.
Vladař faced seven shots in the first period, and robbed the owner of 919 NHL goals, Alex Ovechkin, of his 920th. “The Great 8″ was left wide-open in front after Ristolainen had the puck poked away from him in the corner by Dylan Strome, who fed Ovechkin. Vladař then stopped Strome’s point shot as Travis Konecny’s clearing attempt went right to him.
“He gives us a lot of confidence. He was making huge saves out there for us,” center Christian Dvorak said. “He’s been doing that all year, and it would have been nice to get him a win tonight. He definitely deserved it. He’s been big for us, and we just got to work on being better for our goalies.”
In the second period, the Capitals outshot the Flyers 12-9 and seemed to have the ice tilted their way. Although they broke through once — and missed the net a few more times — Vladař came up big again to keep the score close.
He stopped a point shot by Ethan Frank off a face-off win, kicked out a Ryan Leonard shot to the boards, and then seconds later made a masterful stop on another shot by Leonard.
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (bottom) was a bit shaken up after defenseman Nick Seeler (24) fell over him late in the second period.
Later, Vladař made a save on a Brandon Duhaime shot from nine feet out, and Nick Seeler pushed it back for him to cover. But there was a bit of a scramble, and Seeler fell over him, and the goalie seemed a bit stung. He flexed his right arm at the next whistle but stayed in the game.
Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin scored the Capitals’ opening goal in the period. Philly regrouped and reset after a three-on-two by Washington — and Michkov broke up a pass in front, but then allowed the blueliner to skate down from the point behind him. Hendrix Lapierre found him for the 1-0 goal.
And while he again allowed a goal in the third period, Vladař kept his team in the game. With the Flyers on the penalty kill, Pierre-Luc Dubois got the puck near the net and turned to take a shot, but Vladař was aggressive with the stick and poked it away. He was tracking the puck well all night and seconds later squared up to snare a Strome tip-in attempt on a point shot.
With the game tied, he robbed Lapierre, who got a return touch pass from Duhaime in the slot after the Flyers couldn’t break out of their own end.
“He’s a battler,” Tocchet said. “He’s done it all year for us. But the lateral goals are the tough ones; we don’t want to give those up. That’s the one thing. Vladdy’s played really well for us, but if we eliminate those that will really help. It’ll help Vladdy, too, [because] those laterals are tough to save.”
Protas added a short-handed empty-net goal with 25.6 seconds left in the game. … Defenseman Emil Andrae and forward Nic Deslauriers were the Flyers’ healthy scratches. What does Andrae, who hasn’t played since Jan. 26, need to do to get back into the lineup? “He’s not a PK guy,” said Tocchet pregame. “So actually, this week, he’s worked on his penalty killing. That’s really what it’s going to come down to.“ … Forward Carl Grundström, who has been playing wing all season, centered the fourth line. … The Flyers went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and 0-for-2 on the power play.
Up next
The Flyers’ restart is already grinding away as they face the New York Rangers on Thursday at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m., ESPN).
