PHILADELPHIA – Zack Wheeler started the last baseball game of 2022.
As the Phillies made their miracle run from the last wild-card team to pennant winners, Wheeler, pitching in his first postseason, was dominant. Through the first five starts of a long October, opposing batters hit just .151 off him. In 30u2153 innings, he had a 2.67 ERA.
The last game was hardly anomalous: When he left in the sixth inning, he had a 1-0 lead with a couple of runners on base. When the bullpen then surrendered a home run, he was tagged for two earned runs on three hits.