Seven Up, Then a No-Decision: Wheeler’s Strange Night
Zack Wheeler struck out the first seven hitters he faced Tuesday night. Nobody in Phillies history had ever done that to open a game. By the time he walked off the mound in the sixth, he had eleven strikeouts, three runs allowed, and nothing to show for it in the win column.
The record-setting run started with Brice Turang, and that punchout carried extra weight of its own: the 2,000th strikeout of Wheeler’s career. He worked 5⅔ innings and gave up five hits before Philadelphia’s bullpen took over a game that was still very much undecided.
It didn’t matter that Wheeler left with a no-decision. Bryson Stott made sure of that, delivering the go-ahead hit in the eighth inning to push the Phillies past Milwaukee 6-4. Brandon Marsh had already done his part with a home run and three RBIs earlier in the game.
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A Big Number Gets Smaller
Philadelphia’s magic number for a postseason berth is down to two now, and a win like this one, coming against the team with the best record in baseball, is exactly the kind of statement a club wants heading into October. Milwaukee had lost just twice in its previous thirteen games before Tuesday. William Contreras drove in three runs trying to prevent a third.
The Brewers still hold the best record in the majors, but their cushion over the Dodgers for that distinction is down to a single game. Every result matters this deep into September, and Tuesday’s loss in Philadelphia tightened a race that looked comfortable just a week ago.
What It Means
For Wheeler, the strikeouts are a reminder of exactly why the Phillies built their rotation around him. For the Phillies as a whole, clinching a playoff spot is now a matter of days, not weeks. Milwaukee, meanwhile, heads back out on the road still owning the best record in baseball, but with far less room for error than it had a few days ago.
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