PHILADELPHIA — The final pitch Zack Wheeler threw to Ronald Acuña Jr. was a 96.6 mph fastball to the outside corner to end the fifth inning. Then Wheeler strode off the mound, staring at Acuña. The Atlanta Braves star had homered off the Philadelphia Phillies righty two innings earlier and celebrated with arms outstretched, almost reveling in the boos.It was Wheeler’s third strikeout of the fifth inning, and if it seemed as if Acuña’s eight-pitch at-bat had some juice, maybe that’s because it did. Entering Saturday, Wheeler had thrown three pitches above 96.5 mph since Aug. 1. He threw two Saturday alone; one was his final strike to Acuña in the Phillies’ 4-2 win against the Braves.“I really wanted to strike him out right there,” Wheeler said, “and to get him back, so to speak.”
"It's up to him to do what he wants. Our guy just rounds the bases that hits 50 here."
Zack Wheeler isn't big on home run celebrations. | @WapnerNewman pic.twitter.com/8m96qh7RIz
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) September 6, 2026“After that (home run),” Kyle Schwarber said, “(Wheeler) was pretty spectacular, lights-out. And that’s the Wheeler we all know.”That Wheeler, though, had been missing for most of August, when he produced a 6.26 ERA across six starts (27 1/3 innings) — really recovering only during his final start, Aug. 30, when he gave up one run in six innings against the Los Angeles Angels. After some digging into his biomechanics revealed he had been lowering his glove and affecting his control, Wheeler corrected his posture and found success in Anaheim, Calif.Still, there were mistakes during that start — specifically, loading the bases with no outs in the first inning — that seemed as if they might be pounced on by a better team. Saturday put that to the test, when Wheeler again loaded the bases with no outs in the first.This time, it was against a playoff-caliber opponent — one the Phillies are striving to overcome in the division race. But Wheeler retired the next three hitters — partly thanks to a strong first-inning Automated Ball-Strike challenge from catcher J.T. Realmuto that turned a ball into strike three to Mauricio Dubón. “It was gutsy,” Wheeler said.And the Phillies, on the precipice of a disastrous first, went on to score the game’s first run in a wacky bottom of the inning in which Martín Pérez lacked command, Schwarber’s helmet came flying off as he tagged up, and five of eight hitters reached base. The lineup took advantage of a struggling starting pitcher to help the Phillies move to four games behind the Braves in the National League East.But so much came back to Wheeler delivering a typical Wheeler performance.He struck out nine. He threw 95 pitches in six innings, avoiding traffic later in the outing — a serious problem for him recently. His command of everything was sharper. The velocity on all his pitches was up. He successfully made in-game adjustments without throwing anything off. He gave the Phillies every chance to win, which couldn’t be said for much of August. It was a literal victory and a metaphorical victory for a Phillies rotation that’s surged despite Wheeler’s struggles and grows even stronger now in his success.“Definitely a step in the right direction,” Wheeler said. “Just got to keep building.”Ronald Acuña Jr. celebrates as he rounds the bases after his third-inning homer. Zack Wheeler got the last laugh. (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)The lone blip was the home run to Acuña, who stretched out his arms and jumped around a bit as he rounded the bases.“It doesn’t really bother me all that much,” Wheeler said. “He can do whatever he wants — he hit a home run. So, I mean, it’s up to him to do what he wants. Our guy (Kyle Schwarber) just rounds the bases that hits 50 here, so. But he can do whatever he wants.”He may be able to do what he wants, but that did not stop the raucous crowd at Citizens Bank Park. The boos rolled in as Acuña trotted, rising as he ran and jumped and raised his arms. There was a fresh wave of boos each time Acuña stepped to the plate after.It is not quite October, but so much about Saturday — vintage Wheeler, a Schwarber home run, Acuña’s maligned trot — felt like the ghost of postseason baseball past. It could also be a premonition of moments worth savoring; the Phillies just have to get there first.Their path will be shaped over the next few weeks, with five more games against the Braves and the NL East title still in reach. Wherever things go from here, this version of Wheeler provides the Phillies a much better chance to win — during the stretch run and the postseason. Now it is about keeping this going.“We know this is a good opportunity for us,” Schwarber said. “There’s no looking ahead at the end of the year. This is (about) staying in the present. … We know we’re in a good situation but we have to keep playing our game. We have to keep worrying about what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis, because if you keep looking down the road, the present might not be what you want it to be. So stay in the moment, stay in what we do, play our game, and we go from there.”
