PHILADELPHIA — Andrew Painter hadn’t even completed the walk in from the bullpen when he heard his first ovation. As he crossed the first base line, fans behind the Phillies’ dugout stood and cheered, a gesture befitting the occasion.

But it didn’t compare to the last ovation.

At 8:02 p.m. Tuesday, 80 minutes after a first pitch that was almost 1,000 days in the making, Painter gave the ball to manager Rob Thomson, walked off to a roar that might have lifted the cap clear off his head if he hadn’t done it himself.

In the most anticipated major league debut by a Phillies pitcher since Cole Hamels 20 years ago in Cincinnati, Painter matched the hype in a feel-good 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals before 40,708 paying customers at the corner of 11th and Pattison.

First, the bottom line: 5 1/3 innings, four hits, one run, one walk, eight strikeouts, 84 pitches, 57 strikes.

But Painter was somehow even more impressive.

Ten days shy of turning 23 — with “Andrew’s Painters” in Section 302, “Painter’s Painters” in Section 218, and who knows how many other groups of homage-paying fans popping up across the ballpark — Painter opened the game with a 96.6-mph fastball for a called strike.

And that was only the start.

Painter struck out Nationals leadoff hitter James Wood on a curveball and made it through a 1-2-3 first inning in 11 pitches. Then, a Houdini act. After yielding back-to-back singles to open the second, he escaped with three fly balls.

Tales of Painter’s blazing fastball preceded him, and he dialed it up to 98.7 mph. But he also got strikeouts with his curveball, change-up and slider against a Nationals lineup that was stacked with six left-handed hitters and two switch-hitters to increase the degree of difficulty.

Kyle Schwarber and Adolis García supplied early offense with solo homers against Nationals right-hander Zack Littell. Justin Crawford scored what proved to be the deciding run in the fifth inning on an error by Nationals first baseman Luis García Jr.

And there was a sweaty moment in the ninth inning. With the tying run on second base against closer Jhoan Duran, Wood hit a drive that Brandon Marsh ran down with an outstretched glove in the left-field corner to snap the Phillies’ three-game losing skid.

All together now: Whew.

But make no mistake: This was all about Painter.

The story has been told many times. Painter had a strong chance of winning a spot in the Phillies’ rotation as a 19-year-old phenom in spring training of 2023. But he tore an elbow ligament, underwent surgery and missed two seasons.

When Painter returned to the mound in Triple-A last season, Phillies officials believed he’d be ready for the majors by the summer. But he struggled to command his fastball, posted a 5.40 ERA in 22 Triple-A starts, and never got called up.

It was all worth the wait.

Painter didn’t give up much hard contact. He racked up six strikeouts in one 11-batter stretch. At times he was overpowering. Other times he displayed touch with his offspeed pitches. The top three batters in the Nationals’ order — Wood, Garcia and CJ Abrams — went 1 for 9.

Thomson said earlier in the week that he would’ve been thrilled with six innings from Painter’s first start. Painter almost provided it. But after he gave up a one-out single to Abrams in the sixth inning, with a 3-0 lead in tow, Thomson took the ball.

Cue the ovation.

With the promise of many more in the future.

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