SPRING BRAKE
Not so fast, Phanatics: Spring training is finally here, but it’s going to be difficult for stir-crazy Phillies fans stuck in their homes to watch many games on TV. Here’s a quick guide
NBC Sports Philadelphia will air 12 of the Phillies’ 28 Grapefruit League games this season. That’s up from 10 last year, but down from 16 in 2019 and 17 in 2018.
The Phillies opened spring training Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers, but their first televised game won’t be until Monday, when they face the Baltimore Orioles at home in Clearwater in the newly renamed BayCare Ballpark.
To limit travel, the Phillies are in a six-team pod, and will also play against the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training. There are no intrasquad games this offseason, and the team has two days off — March 8 and 18.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Phillies spring training games this year:
What channel is Phillies spring training on?
The bulk of the Phillies’ televised spring training games will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, which will broadcast 12 games — four on the main channel and eight on Sports Philadelphia+.
Tom McCarthy will do play-by-play for NBC Sports Philadelphia, and will be joined by a rotation of analysts that includes Ruben Amaro, Ben Davis and John Kruk. Due to the network’s COVID-19 protocols, the broadcasters won’t travel to Florida — they’ll call the games out of NBC Sports Philadelphia’s studios at the Wells Fargo Center, which is also used for Flyers and Sixers road games.
So far, MLB Network has announced it will air one Phillies spring training game — the team’s March 7 matchup against the Yankees.
Radio listeners can tune into 94.1 WIP to listen to a handful of games. So far, the station has confirmed it will broadcast five games, called by announcers Scott Franzke and Kevin Frandsen. WIP won’t have pre- or postgame programming during spring training, and it’s unclear who will replace former host Jim Jackson, who announced in October he won’t be returning to the broadcast.
Can I stream Phillies spring training games?
NBC Sports Philadelphia will stream its 12 Phillies spring training games on both the NBC Sports app and the MyTeams app, but a subscription to cable service is required. Fans in the Philadelphia metro area can also get NBC Sports Philadelphia on fuboTV (which is offering a free seven-day preview), YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, and AT&T TV (though you have to subscribe to their more expensive “choice” package).
MLB.TV is scheduled to stream 17 Phillies games and has eliminated its local blackout rule during spring training. There is a subscription fee, which you can pay monthly
or in one annual lump sum.
How much are Phillies spring training tickets?
Both the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to discourage nonessential travel, even for people who are fully vaccinated.
But if you happen to live in Florida or you’re willing to abide by all the travel restrictions (including quarantining and taking a COVID19 test within three to five days of traveling), the Phillies are allowing up to 2,200 fans per game into their Springwater stadium, which has an 8,500-person capacity.
As of Friday morning, tickets on StubHub to Phillies spring training games cost $35-$120. Prices were within a similar range on SeatGeek and Vivid Seats.
The Phillies will sell 2,200 tickets to each of their spring training games in Clearwater
What should I know about the Phillies?
Odubel Herrera has impressed the Phillies in the early days of camp, but there’s a lot left for him to do before he can return to the major leagues.
The Phillies hope a slimmed-down Scott Kingery can finally live up to his lofty potential.
Bryce Harper said he couldn’t throw a baseball by the end of last season, but he remained in the lineup. He focused on his back this winter and is ready to go.