Zack Wheeler was not at his freshest when he dominated his way through last postseason. He did it despite fatiguing as the regular season ended and the calendar stretched deeper into October and, ultimately, November.
It seems he’s simply at his best in the playoffs. And after Tuesday’s Game 1, it seems that Wheeler, when he enters those playoffs rejuvenated, might have an even higher gear to unlock.
Wheeler carved through the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card Series opener. He did it by missing bats, punching out eight. He did it by pounding the zone, walking none and requiring just 73 pitches to get through six innings.
It was even more overpowering than the 6 1/3 shutout innings he fired in Game 1 of last year’s Wild Card Series against the Cardinals. And just like it did 361 days ago, vintage Wheeler gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three opening round.
Wheeler set the tone for his night by getting through the first two perfect innings on 10 pitches apiece. The Phillies’ offense almost added to that tone in the first inning, when back-to-back hits by Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner put two in scoring position with no outs — but the 3-4-5 spots in the lineup couldn’t cash in.
The Phillies went 0 for their first 5 with runners in scoring position until that skid broke in predictable fashion. Johan Rojas had reached second on a leadoff single and wild pitch, and after Schwarber and Turner made unproductive outs, Alec Bohm — who else? — continued his Wild Card Series reign of terror by doubling Rojas home for a 1-0 lead.
Another usual suspect earned the Phillies’ next RISP knock, in their next opportunity. J.T. Realmuto (single) and Nick Castellanos (bloop double) put ducks on the pond with none away in the fourth, before Bryson Stott doubled the lead with a single up the middle.
He did not triple it, though, because an excellent throw from Jazz Chisholm Jr. nailed Castellanos at the plate.
That third run still scored in the inning, when Marlin Killer Cristian Pache singled Stott home with one out. Pache got the start against the lefty Jesús Luzardo in place of Brandon Marsh and Weston Wilson, and Rob Thomson’s decision paid off with the RBI.
Wheeler was perfect across the next two innings before running into trouble in the seventh. Josh Bell hit a one-out double and Jake Burger put runner on the corners with a two-out infield single. Bryce Harper had broken to his right trying to make a play, and Wheeler couldn’t cover first in time for Stott to throw Burger out.
Bryan De La Cruz put the Marlins on the board with their second straight infield hit. Bohm made a nice diving stop but couldn’t get rid of the ball in time or muster enough on his throw to keep the run off the board.
It ended the night for Wheeler, who exited to thunderous applause from the Citizens Bank Park crowd. José Alvarado came on in relief and got Yuli Gurriel to chase on a four-pitch strikeout, ending the threat.
Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman combined for a scoreless eighth, before Castellanos gave the Phillies a three-run lead in the home half with his second double of the game. Harper singled — giving everyone in the Phillies’ starting lineup a base hit in Game 1 — before scoring on the double into the left-field corner.
Harper ran through a stop sign from Dusty Wathan, but that isn’t the No. 1 takeaway, because that’s to be expected. The real question is why Wathan was holding him up in the first place, given how comfortably Harper wound up scoring.
It was an important run. Craig Kimbrel started the ninth inning against Josh Bell, who was 4-for-5 with a double and two homers against the veteran reliever. But the three-run cushion made the matchup slightly less unnerving, as it did Bell’s leadoff double.
Kimbrel recovered to get Chisholm to pop out, then Burger and De La Cruz to ground out. Kimbrel’s first postseason save as a Phillie is his eighth overall, and it gave the Phillies a key 1-0 series advantage.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- NLWCS Game 2 on Wednesday, October 4 vs. Miami Marlins
- Citizens Bank Park
- 8:08 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
- Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680
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