Magic Number Two: Zack Wheeler makes history, Phillies beat the Brewers 6-4
Zack Wheeler made history, the offense came through when it mattered, and the Phillies took another massive step toward clinching, beating the Brewers 6-4 on Tuesday to drop their magic number to just two. Now, the fifth straight postseason berth for this franchise could come as soon as Wednesday night.
Wheeler Was Historic, Then Baseball Did Its Thing
The start could not have begun any better. Wheeler set a club record by opening the game with seven straight strikeouts, smashing the old mark of six set by Brandon Duckworth back in 2001.
Buried in that run was also the 2,000th strikeout of his career.
Then, as it always seems to, baseball reminded everybody it’s a game of inches. Wheeler struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings but couldn’t hold the 3-0 lead, and the way Milwaukee got to him was extremely annoying.
Fourth inning, Garrett Mitchell reaches on a soft pop that clangs off a back-pedaling Stott’s glove, ruled a hit, then scores on a sac fly. Sixth inning, after Realmuto just misses gunning a guy down on a double steal, William Contreras loops an 83-mph liner inches beyond a lunging Turner to tie it, and Jake Bauers pokes an 80-mph grounder just out of Turner’s reach.
Two dinky little balls that find grass, and just like that Wheeler’s night is done at 101 pitches. The man deserved so much better. That’s baseball, and baseball can be cruel.
2,000 K’s for Wheeler. Elite.
Give Wheeler his flowers here, because 2,000 strikeouts is monumental, and it’s even more special given the road he took to get there. This is a guy who battled all the way back from Tommy John more than a decade ago, then missed the final six weeks of 2025 with a blood clot in his shoulder and a procedure to remove a RIB.
To claw back from all that and become just the 96th pitcher in MLB history to hit 2,000 punchouts is genuinely remarkable.
Wheeler is all the way back,. This was likely his final regular-season start, and he’s now given up just six runs in 31 2/3 innings over his last five outings. He finishes the regular season with a 3.06 ERA in 27 starts, which is flat-out excellent for a guy coming off that kind of offseason.
Wheeler could technically start the finale Sunday against Tampa Bay, but if the Phillies clinch before then, they hold him back and save him for the postseason opener next Tuesday. That’s the dream, and it’s one more reason to lock this thing up now.
Phillies Bullpen Got Me Fired Up
After Wheeler left with the game knotted, the bullpen was outstanding. Tim Mayza, Alex McFarlane, and Jose Alvarado combined for 2 1/3 scoreless, with rookie McFarlane getting five massive outs.
That was a real pre-October test for the 25-year-old, and he aced it. McFarlane keeps growing in importance by the week, and having a young arm you can actually trust emerge right before the playoffs is exactly what this shaky bullpen needed. Huge stuff from the kid.
Brandon Marsh is alive…for now
The offense did its damage late, and the story was Brandon Marsh, who’s been a genuine mess in the second half. Marsh drove in half the Phillies’ runs, a two-run bomb in the second and an RBI double in the eighth.
That homer was LONG overdue.
Before it, he hadn’t gone deep since August 13, a span of 80 at-bats. So seeing him bust out now, right when the games get biggest, is a massive sign for a lineup that needs every bat it can get rolling into October. Of course, I have my doubts with Brandon Marsh but we will acknowledge last night as a much needed step in the right direction.
The winning rally was pure two-out damage, exactly the stuff that plays in the postseason. Down in the eighth, Arraez and Bohm both delivered two-out knocks, Stott broke the tie with a single up the middle, a second run scored on an errant throw, and Marsh capped his big night by doubling home the third. Three two-out runs to steal the lead. It gave Duran some breathing room as he coughed up a run in the ninth but slammed the door for his 33rd save.
Phillies Magic Number Two
A shot to clinch a fifth straight postseason berth as soon as Wednesday night at home. That’s a fantastic spot to be in, and punching the ticket in front of the home crowd would be about as perfect as it gets.
Wheeler made history and got locked in for October, the young bullpen arms are stepping up, Marsh is heating up at the perfect time, and this team just keeps finding ways to win the tight ones.
After a rocky couple weeks that had everybody sweating, the Phillies are rounding back into form right when it counts most, and October is now within arm’s reach.
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