Zach Wheeler took the mound against his former team in Queens, New York, looking to help the Phillies avoid a series sweep and a four-game losing skid. In typical Wheeler fashion, a tight pitchers’ duel ensued in a contest that reached extra innings. While it looked promising for a moment in the tenth inning, the Mets walked off the field celebrating the 4-3 win and a three-game sweep of their NL East rivals from Philadelphia.
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The mid-week, mid-afternoon game resembled the movie that Phillies fans watched during Game 1 of the 2024 National League Division Series. Wheeler held the Mets to one hit over seven innings, but the Phillies never got the offense going and New York captured the opener 6-2. On Wednesday, Wheeler tossed six innings of five-hit baseball with nine strikeouts. His lone mistake was a 2-run home run by outfielder Brett Baty in the second inning.
The Phillies’ offense picked their pitcher up with a pair of runs in the fourth inning to tie the game. Johan Rojas singled to center field, scoring Edmundo Sosa to cut the lead in half at 2-1, before Trea Turner smacked a single to right field to score Weston Wilson, who opened the season with Lehigh Valley due to an upper body injury sustained during the early days of Spring Training.
In the eighth inning, the Phillies were aggressive in their attempt to take the lead. With two on and two outs, Max Kepler singled to right field. Nick Castellanos gambled that he could be Juan Soto’s throw from the outfield, but he lost that bet as he was tagged out by catcher Hayden Senger to end the inning, which was still tied at two.
The Mets attempted their showcase to win the game with two men on base and two outs with star Francisco Lindor at the plate. Lindor had already reached base three times in the afternoon, but Jose Alvarado induced the inning-ending ground ball to send the game to extra innings.
Phillies Lose in Extras
In the tenth inning, Bryce Harper swiped third base with Nick Castellanos at the plate. A base hit to left field scored Harper to give the Phillies the lead, 3-2. J.T. Realmuto drew a walk before an Alec Bohm single loaded the bases, but did not allow Castellanos to score from third. Bryon Stott and Max Kepler hit balls that found Mets’ gloves in the outfield to end the threat.
Jordan Romano entered the game looking for his second save of the season. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old veteran faced the heart of the Mets lineup – Soto, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo. Romano forced a ground ball from Soto before Alonso pounded an RBI-double to center to tie the game at 3-3. Starling Marte played hero for New York with an RBI single to center field, scoring Alonso and kickstarting the afternoon celebration at Citi Field. At 18-7, the Mets enjoy the view from the top of the mountain as the best team in baseball as we head to the close of April.
The Phillies have a travel day tomorrow as they visit Chicago, Illinois, for a three-game series at iconic Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs this weekend. The Phillies slip to one game above .500 at 13-12 after the first 25 games of the season, while the Cubs lead the NL Central with a 15-10 record after the same number of contests.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
