Zack Wheeler turned Tuesday night into a milestone and a statement all at once.
The Phillies right-hander entered the game needing three strikeouts to get to 2,000 for his career. He got there before the first inning was over, then kept carving through the Brewers in a way no Phillies pitcher had done before.
Wheeler struck out the first seven Milwaukee hitters he faced, setting a club record for consecutive strikeouts to open a game. Philadelphia finished off a 6-4 win over a Brewers team that came in with 98 victories, and the victory pushed the Phillies another step closer to a National League wild-card berth.
The 2,000th strikeout came on Brice Turang in the first inning. From there, Wheeler kept piling them up, extending past the previous Phillies mark of six straight strikeouts to begin a game. According to MLB’s account of the feat, Wheeler became the 96th pitcher in major league history to reach 2,000 career strikeouts.
This wasn’t just a tidy number for a veteran in September. Wheeler gave Philadelphia exactly what it needed against one of the sport’s best teams: a dominant start that put the Phillies in position to win.
There’s still work left to do before the playoff box gets checked. MLB’s reported scenario says the Phillies can clinch an NL wild-card spot as early as Wednesday if they beat Milwaukee again and Arizona loses at Colorado.
Different results would keep the wait going. Tuesday moved Philadelphia closer, but it did not seal anything.
Wheeler’s night also tied into a rare season for the Phillies’ rotation. Aaron Nola reached 2,000 career strikeouts earlier this year, and MLB reported that Wheeler and Nola are only the second pair of teammates to hit that mark in the same season.
For Philadelphia, the big-picture value goes beyond the numbers on Wheeler’s ledger. A start like this changes the shape of a game, and a game like this changes the feel around a team trying to lock down October.
Tuesday delivered a record, a milestone and a win. Wednesday now carries the chance to make the playoff push official.
In Other News...
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Hendersons run has been the kind that matters when October starts to come into focus. He has set a rookie mark for the lowest WHIP among pitchers with at least 15 starts and matched a streak of consecutive outings in which he allowed three runs or fewer, giving Milwaukee even more depth at a time when the club has already clinched a first-round playoff bye and is closing in on a franchise first 100-win season. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Have A New Reason To Watch Chicago's October Slide
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From Milwaukees standpoint, the timing is hard to ignore. The Cubs have slipped out of the top Wild Card spot while trying to navigate the stretch without one of their most important lineup pieces, and the standings pressure only grows from here. If Bregman remains out, Chicago has to keep juggling both its roster and its place in the postseason race, which is exactly the kind of October stress the Brewers will be watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Are One Win From A Milestone Fans Have Never Seen
The Brewers keep piling up wins in a season that already feels different from the usual late-September script. Milwaukees 4-1 victory over the Phillies pushed the club to 99 wins, with Brice Turang and Christian Yelich providing the power and Logan Henderson doing his part on the mound in a steady five-inning outing that helped keep the Phillies in check.
Aaron Nola lasted six innings but gave up four runs, and the loss left Milwaukee sitting one win away from a milestone the franchise has never reached. For a team that has spent the summer winning in a lot of different ways, the final stretch now carries a little extra weight, with the next victory standing to mean more than just another mark in the standings. [Read more 🡒]