NORTH PORT, Fla. — When Kyle Gibson was asked if he’d like to make a road start versus the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon, his answer was an immediate “yes.” The Phillies right-handed starter had spent his entire offseason trying to throw his cutter to both sides of the plate, and was eager to test it out against some professional hitters. Gibson figured that because it was a home game for Atlanta, he’d see some of their better players, and he was right; his first four at-bats were against Orlando Arcia, Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, and Marcell Ozuna. His next three were against Adam Duvall, Travis d’Arnaud, and Michael Harris.
In two innings and 25 pitches, the lone minor leaguer he faced was Jesse Franklin, an outfielder/first baseman who hasn’t ventured past high-A. Gibson made quick work of him, firing his arm-side cutter to strike out the lefty swinging.
He made quick work of some established major league hitters, too. Olson, a 2021 AL All-Star who was recently traded to the Braves by the A’s, whiffed in the first inning. For that one, Gibson didn’t change much, firing off a sequence he’d used against the first baseman before: a few fastballs, hard and in, followed by a well-placed curveball. After eight MLB seasons, Gibson is wary of repeating his sequences. He says that this one worked, because his fastball was sharp today, but that he usually tries to keep hitters on their toes.
