It was sunny and 77 degrees in Dunedin as, 1,000 miles north, Philadelphia prepared for yet another snowstorm of blizzard potential. Justin Crawford stepped into the batter’s box to lead off the action for the Philadelphia Phillies in their Grapefruit League opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. Six pitches later, Crawford connected on the first hit of the Spring for the Phillies, a double off of the warning track in center field. Spring Training has begun.
Despite a leadoff double from Crawford, the Phillies went down quietly in the first inning. Bryse Wilson allowed three baserunners in the bottom of the first but managed to navigate the inning without allowing a run. Wilson kept the Blue Jays scoreless through two innings of action despite allowing four baserunners on three hits and a walk. Two well-timed double play balls aided Wilson’s efforts.
After Wilson came Zach McCambley, the Phillies’ selection in the 2025 Rule 5 draft. McCambley, 26, will look to make the Opening Day roster as a right-handed reliever for the Phillies. Otherwise, the Phillies will need to relinquish him back to the Miami Marlins. McCambley pitched one inning, allowing one walk and striking out one. Max Lazar then followed up with a scoreless fourth inning with one strikeout of his own.
Seth Johnson then allowed the first run of the Spring as he left a fastball up high and away for Daulton Varsho, which he then proceeded to slug for a home run into left field. Johnson appeared to be slipping as he allowed a walk to Davis Schneider following the home run. Keeping his composure, Johnson worked the next batter into a double play ball directly back to him.
As the starting lineup collectively exited the game in the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Jays increased their lead. Nolan Hoffman entered and allowed a leadoff single before letting a two-run home run on a changeup into right center field.
The Blue Jays’ 3-0 lead would hold as the Phillies dropped their first contest of the Spring. Seth Johnson took the loss as the Phillies combined for only four hits on the day.
Justin Crawford showed exactly what he needed to in the Grapefruit League debut. He reached base twice, making good contact that goes against the ground-ball narrative that surrounds him. His at bat in the third inning went down as a strikeout due to a pitch clock violation. Meanwhile he demonstrated no issues in center field.
Adolis García’s Phillies debut was quiet in nature as he went 0-for-3 on the day. The Phillies are hoping to rebuild the right fielder’s approach at the plate throughout Spring Training after back-to-back down years for the right-handed power hitter.
Bryse Wilson got the job done in two difficult innings in his first start of the Spring. Though he has little chance of joining the starting rotation to start the year, Wilson will attempt to position himself well to be the first call should a starter get injured in the regular season. The 28-year-old owns a 4.82 career ERA over 461 IP but is coming off a 6.65 ERA in 2025 with the Chicago White Sox.
Zach McCambley and Max Lazar managed their respective innings well. The pair are in the mix for the final few spots in what will be a new look to the bullpen in 2026.
BayCare Ballpark will open up for the first time of the year on Sunday as the Phillies have their Spring Training home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
