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Some Guy Wore a Custom Taryn Hatcher T-Shirt to Phillies Opening Day
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Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. 70 degrees with a slight breeze. The smell of hot dogs, the crack of the bat, and some guy wearing a t-shirt with Taryn Hatcher’s face on it:
There’s been a lot of “bring back Taryn” stuff since she departed NBC Sports Philadelphia at the end of 2025. The whole thing about her job being “eliminated” was largely semantics, because while she is no longer employed there, and NBC Sports Philadelphia no longer has a dedicated field reporter, they were still going to do field reporter type of stuff during the broadcasts. It wasn’t like they were going strictly to two guys in the broadcast booth and nobody else.
Case in point, this Rob Tornoe Inquirer story the other day noting that Ben Davis is going to spend more time in the dugout:
Davis, part of the Phillies’ broadcast team since 2015, was in the dugout for a couple of games last season and during spring training. With the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System, Alexandra Matcham, the vice president of content for NBC Sports Philadelphia, thought it made sense to get Davis out of the booth more during key series, including ones against the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I think having Davis, as a former catcher, at field level is going to give viewers greater insight about what they’re seeing” with the replay system, Matcham said.
They’re also going to use Spencer McKercher, who is a digital video producer, and the new guy, Cole Weintraub, was given a warm Philadelphia welcome by @MrWhale78620853 during Thursday’s pregame show:
Tough sledding sometimes when you’re the new guy, but you gotta start somewhere.
One of the things I heard early on during the Taryn pseudo-saga was that Alex Matcham was not necessarily big on sideline or field reporters. Then I heard differently from super-secret sources, that she preferred sideline reporters with playing experience. I didn’t get a consensus one way or another, but using Ben Davis in the dugout while noting that he is “a former catcher” certainly does speak to the latter. Of course, you also save money by not renewing Taryn.
We’ll see how it goes. Lotta changes at the ballpark this year. No Harry the K’s, no analog clock, no Taryn Hatcher. Some fans like the lighter feature topics that field reporters hit on, and the moments of levity and banter, while others care only about the Phillies winning baseball games.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com