PHILADELPHIA — They raced up the dugout steps, onto the field and mobbed Justin Crawford.

Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott sprayed him with water. Jhoan Duran offered Crawford a towel when the embracing and jumping around cooled a bit. And the 21-year-old, less than a week into his big-league career, basked in the joy alongside his teammates after his single slid past the Washington Nationals’ second baseman into the outfield and handed the Phillies a 6-5 walk-off win in 10 innings.

“That was special,” Crawford said. “Something I’ll remember for a very long time.”

JUSTIN CRAWFORD WALKS IT OFF!!!!! pic.twitter.com/iR14H5aO28

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 1, 2026

The Phillies, among the oldest teams in MLB last season, have witnessed two magical moments from their youngest players in fewer than 24 hours: Andrew Painter’s excellent debut and Crawford’s hit punctuating a comeback from a 5-1 deficit.

The kids are here, and they put an exclamation point on two of the club’s best moments during a 3-3 opening homestand. Only six games have been played, but Painter and Crawford have done what’s been asked. They have contributed and have become big leaguers.

Crawford went 3-for-5 on Wednesday. His two non-walk-off hits: a single slicing through the left side of the infield and a double bouncing to the warning track in left.

There was some question of what Crawford would look like on offense, and there still is. However, the left-handed hitter has shown he can use the opposite field and cause chaos in the infield. It is probably not worthwhile to read into six games’ worth of statistics, but Crawford has the second-highest OPS (.915) among the Phillies’ regulars. Things are going well.

“It’s tough (to defend) because he hits the ball all over the field, and he can drive the ball to left field,” manager Rob Thomson said.

Some scuffling at the top of the lineup

It is unusual for Trea Turner to hit on the field, but there he was on Monday and Tuesday, taking early batting practice after going 1-for-4 on Sunday and 1-for-5 on Monday. He is now 5-for-26 with two walks on the season.

“I think he’s trying to find his timing,” Thomson said. “He’s swinging at the first pitch, but if they’re good pitches, you can’t fault him for that. It just takes time for some people.”

Turner did not have an especially strong spring training, going 6-for-45. He looked it up: His best seasons have come after his worst spring trainings.

Yet, it is not just Turner. Schwarber, Turner and Bryce Harper are batting a combined .167 through three games. It is inadvisable to make much of a six-game sample, particularly when one of the noted players won the batting title last season, and another led the National League in homers. But the question continues to be asked: When will the Phillies’ leaders start hitting?

Wednesday was encouraging for at least one of those players. Harper swung at the first pitch he saw in the eighth inning, sending the ball well into the right-field stands. It was his first homer of the season, his first homer since his resounding eighth-inning Moment in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic.

“It was good — a curveball,” Harper said. “But I’m still chasing too much.”

He’d whiffed 18 times, including six in 0-0 counts entering Wednesday. He’s set goals to be more patient and walk more. Through six games, he has two walks. It is a work in progress.

ABS adventures

Catcher J.T. Realmuto remains a perfect 3-for-3 on ABS challenges. But Cristopher Sánchez, who lost a call by 0.4 of an inch amid a tough second inning on Wednesday, has decided he’s done challenging the umpires.

“I really thought that was a strike,” Sánchez said via team interpreter Diego D’Aniello.

It was not ideal. The challenge came in an 0-1 count with the bases loaded on a pitch that was very much not a strike; that’s not how the Phillies intend to deploy ABS. Still, the club has not placed a red light on anyone when it comes to challenging. Perhaps later on.

“It’s (important) in counts that are going to change the at-bat — 1-1 counts,” Thomson said Sunday. “Counts that are going to end the at-bat. Those are big challenge times. And, as you get later on in the game, if you’re on offense and you’re winning and you’re going to challenge, make sure you’re right.”

Two spring trainings and a few regular-season series into ABS, major-league teams are still figuring out strategy. The Nationals notably lost their two challenges early in Tuesday’s game, as two hitters incorrectly challenged — one on a strike in a 1-2 count on offense, the other on a ball in a 3-1 count on defense — by the end of the third inning. Doing so proved disadvantageous later in the game, as the Phillies won by only one run.

The Phillies, for the most part, have had success. Their spring training successful challenge rate (61 percent) led the league. Realmuto went 5-for-6 on challenges during spring training, and Thomson has spoken about the veteran catcher being an asset in these situations. The Phillies have now challenged 11 times this season, with six decisions overturned and five upheld.

Zack Wheeler, Orion Kerkering continue rehab

Kerkering continued his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, throwing 19 pitches in a scoreless inning in Durham, N.C. The plan is for Kerkering to pitch Thursday in back-to-back outings, Thomson said. Kerkering appears on track to be activated when the Phillies are in San Francisco next week.

Wheeler will travel to Durham within the next two days for his Friday start, Thomson said. He will pitch at Lehigh Valley the following week — not Double-A Reading as previously stated. The Phillies have yet to decide whether he will make a fourth rehab start. Should Wheeler make only three, it seems likely he would return to the rotation when the Phillies play the Chicago Cubs from April 13-15 in Philadelphia.