In the unseen batting cage behind the visitors’ dugout at Citi Field, just as the sixth inning was ending, Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber took swings against Logan Mathieu, a left-handed batting practice pitcher. Mathieu, from a shortened distance, threw his usual mixture of unannounced sliders and fastballs, a regimen hitting coach Kevin Long began with Schwarber in 2021 when they were together in Washington.
“If we can mix pitches from a short distance,” Schwarber says, “it gets me on time for when I’m out there. Be ready for that fastball, be on time, and then recognize off-speed.”
