The Philadelphia Phillies waltzed into Petco Park on Tuesday night and took Game 1 of the NLCS from the San Diego Padres thanks to home runs from sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
What gets lost in the Phils’ Game 1 victory, however, is that staff ace Zack Wheeler pitched a gem against a stacked Padres lineup.
The right-hander got the Phillies through seven innings before turning things over to the bullpen, allowing just one hit in the process.
Wheeler became the second pitcher in postseason history to throw seven or more scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and no more than one hit allowed on fewer than 100 pitches.
The first was Don Larsen in 1956, when he threw his famous perfect game.
Zack Wheeler of the @Phillies is the second pitcher in MLB history to throw 7.0+ shutout innings with 7+ strikeouts, no more than 1 hit allowed and under 100 pitches in a postseason game.
The other was Don Larsen in his perfect game in 1956.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 19, 2022
Wheeler Matches Larson
Wheeler gave the Phillies a little bit of everything last night as they took Game 1 by a final of 2-0.
They’ll have Aaron Nola ready this afternoon for Game 2 as they look to take a 2-0 series lead back home for Game 3 on Friday night.
But Wheeler set the tone for the Phillies in Game 1 on Tuesday, and he did more than that.
All he needed was a couple home runs from Harper and Schwarber to cruise through the series opener.
Wheeler’s final line was seven shutout innings with just one hit and one walk allowed and eight strikeouts on the night.
And in the process, he matched Larsen for some postseason history.
Now, the ball is in Nola’s hand for Game 2.
He’ll face his brother, Austin Nola, and will have a chance to follow up Wheeler’s historic performance with one of his own and help the Phillies take command of the NLCS.
NEXT: Kyle Schwarber Shares Hilarious Comment On Game 1 Blast