Zack Wheeler expressed frustration following his early exit from Wednesday night’s 10-6 Philadelphia Phillies victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Despite the win, Wheeler was removed from the mound after 4 2/3 innings and 104 pitches, preventing him from completing the five innings necessary to qualify for a win.
Wheeler, who struck out 10 batters despite struggling with pitch command, admitted after the game that he was upset by the decision. “I felt upset,” Wheeler said. “Getting taken out of the game. Obviously. I feel like I’ve earned that.” When asked if he had spoken to manager Don Mattingly about the move, Wheeler replied, “Nope.”
Mattingly acknowledged the difficulty of the outing, noting that Wheeler’s pitch count was extended due to a lack of command and soft contact. “I thought Wheels hung in there,” Mattingly said. “It was one of those nights that his pitch count got extended early in the game. He didn’t get ahead in counts as much as he would have liked.”
The Phillies’ offense supported the team with three home runs, tagging Pirates starter Paul Skenes for a career-high eight runs in four innings. Trea Turner hit a three-run homer, Brandon Marsh added a solo shot, and Alec Bohm hit a two-run homer in the ninth. The victory moved the Phillies to a season-high 11 games over .500.
Wednesday’s appearance marked Wheeler’s shortest outing since June 16, 2024, ending a streak of 53 consecutive starts of five innings or more. The right-hander’s ERA moved from 2.03 to 2.36 following the performance.
Find more reporting in our Sport news section.
