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Phillies spring training 2024: TV schedule, new rules, how to watch and stream

Three Phillies spring training games will stream exclusively on the team's website, while NBC Sports Philadelphia will broadcast 13 on television.

Phillies slugger Bryce Harper gets in some batting practice during spring training at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. The Phillies first game is Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Phillies slugger Bryce Harper gets in some batting practice during spring training at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. The Phillies first game is Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

Phillies spring training is finally here, and for the second-straight year fans back home in Philadelphia will be able to watch most of the team’s games from the comfort of their homes.

The Phillies will kick off their Grapefruit League schedule Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, which fans in Philly can watch on the MLB Network beginning at 1 p.m. Just be ready for a Blue Jays-centric broadcast, since MLB Network is getting the feed from SportsNet.

NBC Sports Philadelphia’s first game will be Sunday’s matchup against the New York Yankees at BayCare Ballpark, with Aaron Nola making the start. BayCare Ballpark is celebrating its 20th anniversary as the Phillies’ home in Clearwater, Fla., where the Phillies have conducted spring training since 1947.

Much like the Phillies’ roster itself, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s broadcasts will basically be the same as last year. The network will again air 13 of the Phillies’ 29 spring training games, on par with last year but down from 16 in 2019.

While there’s been attention on the league’s widely mocked new uniforms, the Phillies do have some questions to figure out in spring training, such as who is going to bat behind slugger Bryce Harper? There’s also Carlos De La Cruz, a 6-foot-9 outfielder who knocked out 24 homers in double A last season who Inquirer beat writer Scott Lauber thinks could be the surprise of camp.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream Phillies spring training games:

What channel are Phillies spring training games on?

The bulk of the Phillies’ televised spring training games will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, which will broadcast 13 games — four on the main channel and nine on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.

Returning for the 17th season of his second stint with the Phillies is play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy, who will be joined in the booth by a familiar cast of analysts that includes Rubén Amaro Jr., Ben Davis, and John Kruk.

MLB Network will broadcast three spring training games, all against the Blue Jays using a feed provided by SportsNet. Calling those games will be Blue Jays announcer Dan Shulman, whom you might have heard calling college basketball games on ESPN. Splitting analyst duties alongside Shulman will be Buck Martinez or Joe Siddall.

Radio listeners can tune into 94.1 WIP to hear 13 games. Play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke is back for his 19th season calling the Phillies. Joining him will be a rotation featuring veteran analyst Larry Anderson and Kevin Stocker, who once again will call a majority of Phillies radio games.

Can I stream Phillies spring training games?

NBC Sports Philadelphia will stream its games on the NBC Sports app, but a subscription to a cable service is required. Fans in the Philadelphia metro area can also get NBC Sports Philadelphia on fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV. The network is not available on Sling TV or DirecTV Stream.

One thing Phillies fans can’t do yet is subscribe to NBC Sports Philadelphia directly to stream games. NBC Universal chairman Mark Lazarus had previously said NBC Sports planned to put its regional sports networks on Peacock, NBC’s subscription service, sometime in 2023. Nearly two months into 2024, the company has yet to offer updates.

For the second-straight season, the Phillies will exclusively stream three spring training games for free on the team’s website. A Phillies spokesperson said they’re still working out the details, but the plan is for pre- and postgame radio host Gregg Murphy to call those games alongside Stocker.

MLB.TV is scheduled to stream some Phillies games and has eliminated its local blackout rule during spring training. There is a subscription fee you can pay monthly, as well as a free seven-day trial.

Are there any new MLB rules in spring training?

One season after MLB introduced the pitch clock and other sweeping changes to impact the pace of play, the league will initiate several tweaks during spring training aimed at more modest improvements.

  1. Shorter pitch clock: Credited with shaving nearly 30 minutes off the average game length, the pitching clock will be shortened to 18 seconds, down from 20, when runners are on base. MLB said the change was because the average time of a nine-inning game increased by about nine minutes from April to September.

  2. Wider runner’s lane: The dirt area surrounding the first-base line will be 6 inches wider this season at 24 inches, which will allow space for batters to run on the left side of the foul line. It’s an attempt to give runners a better chance of running straight to the base without being called out for interference, as Phillies shortstop Trea Turner was during the 2019 World Series when he was playing for the Washington Nationals.

  3. Fewer mound visits: The number of mound visits to the pitcher is being shaved down further, from five to four. Catchers can still call for a mound visit to avoid a pitch-clock violation, but they no longer have to go through with the visit itself, allowing the flow of the game to continue uninterrupted.

Additional rule changes include reducing the time relievers have to warm up and forcing a pitcher to face at least one batter if they warmed up at the start of an inning. Last season, there were 24 instances — including two in the World Series — where a relief pitcher warmed up but was removed from the mound before throwing a single pitch, mostly due to the opposing team announcing a pinch hitter, MLB says.

Phillies news and spring training updates

  1. Nick Castellanos showed up to spring training sporting a Phillies headband designed by his son, Liam. He’s selling them for charity.

  2. Bryce Harper has a revised Phillies contract on his mind. Columnist Marcus Hayes thinks the request might hurt his image.

  3. The Phillies offered more money than any team to star Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Columnist David Murphy thinks it suggests a level of untapped reserves.

  4. Whit Merrifield has done a lot in his career — except win. He chose the Phillies to try to change that.

  5. A pitch to the face nearly ended Nick Podkul’s career. Here’s how the Phillies minor leaguer found his way back.

When is opening day for the Phillies?

The Phillies are scheduled to open the 2024 season on March 28 against the Atlanta Braves at 3:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park, which will also be celebrating its 20th anniversary this season.

Single-game tickets to Phillies games went on sale last month, and the season opener in South Philly is already sold out. But you can still grab tickets to the remaining two games against the Braves on opening weekend.

The Phillies have had several memorable openers since they were defeated, 4-3, by Old Hoss Radbourn of the Providence Grays on May 1, 1883. Here are nine of the more memorable season openers in franchise history.

Phillies spring training TV schedule 2024

  1. Saturday: Phillies at Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m. (MLB Network, 94.1 WIP)

  2. Sunday: Yankees at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP)

  3. Monday: Phillies at Red Sox, 1:05 p.m.

  4. Tuesday: Phillies at Twins, 1:05 p.m.

  5. Wednesday: Braves at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  6. Thursday: Phillies at Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m. (MLB Network)

  7. Friday: Marlins at Phillies, Phillies at Tigers (split), 1:05 p.m. (Phillies website)

  8. Saturday, March 2: Twins at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP)

  9. Sunday, March 3: Phillies at Braves, 1:05 p.m. (94.1 WIP)

  10. Monday, March 4: Phillies at Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m. (MLB Network)

  11. Tuesday, March 5: Orioles at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  12. Thursday, March 7: Phillies at Rays, 1:05 p.m.

  13. Friday, March 8: Astros at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  14. Saturday, March 9: Blue Jays at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP)

  15. Sunday, March 10: Phillies at Pirates, 1:05 p.m. (94.1 WIP)

  16. Monday, March 11: Yankees at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  17. Wednesday, March 13: Tigers at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  18. Thursday, March 14: Red Sox at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (Phillies website)

  19. Friday, March 15: Phillies at Astros, 6:05 p.m. (94.1 WIP)

  20. Saturday, March 16: Phillies at Marlins, 1:05 p.m. (94.1 WIP)

  21. Sunday, March 17: Blue Jays at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP)

  22. Monday, March 18: Pirates at Phillies, Phillies at Yankees (split), 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  23. Tuesday, March 19: Phillies at Tigers, 6:05 p.m. (94.1 WIP)

  24. Wednesday, March 20: Phillies at Orioles, 6:05 p.m. (94.1 WIP)

  25. Thursday, March 21: Rays at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  26. Friday, March 22: Tigers at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+)

  27. Saturday, March 23: Phillies at Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (94.1 WIP)

  28. Sunday, March 24: Blue Jays at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia+, 94.1 WIP)

  29. Monday, March 25: Rays at Phillies, 12:05 p.m. (Phillies website)