Phillies shut out the Braves as Zack Wheeler notches 100th career win

Zack Wheeler’s first-ever win came against the Braves, in his first career start on June 18, 2013.

Wheeler hails from Georgia, and had lots of family and friends in attendance for his debut in Atlanta that day. He still remembers his first career strikeout: Jason Heyward, now a close friend and offseason workout partner.

Lots of things have changed in the years since, including the team that Wheeler plays for. But on Saturday night, as the 34-year-old former Met eclipsed 100 career wins, one thing was the same to that first start 11 years ago: the team in the opposing dugout.

Wheeler reached the milestone Saturday in the Phillies’ 3-0 victory against Atlanta, and he did it in dominant fashion. Wheeler cruised through seven shutout innings, scattering four hits — all singles — and striking out seven. He did not walk a single batter.

“It’s been a long road,” Wheeler said. “And hard work, and just believing in myself and believing in the teams that I’ve been on. Just trying to work hard and just continue that, and get wins.”

Wheeler’s fastball was effective and he was able to maintain its velocity throughout the outing, though he said postgame that he didn’t have the best command of the pitch.

“It’s like 50-50, probably, where I knew where the ball was going,” Wheeler said. “Fastball just had good life on it, so it played well, but I was able to throw offspeed for strikes. Offspeed definitely felt better than fastball today, command-wise. So that helped me out.”

Even if Wheeler didn’t feel at his sharpest, the Braves couldn’t figure him out. Wheeler posted his fifth consecutive quality start against Atlanta. He has not walked a Braves hitter in three consecutive starts.

“You can tell when he’s locked in, and he was locked in tonight,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s a big game pitcher. These types of games, you feel like you’re going to get six, seven, eight innings because he just gets locked in and pounds the zone like he did tonight.”

» READ MORE: The 2024 stat to know for each of the Phillies' top 10 prospects

Edmundo Sosa, starting at second base, had a standout night at the plate against Atlanta starter Max Fried. Sosa put the Phillies on the board with a solo home run in the third inning, launching a slider 450 feet to left-center field. It marked the longest ball Sosa has hit in his career.

“I felt very good about it,” Sosa said through a team interpreter. “To contribute so early in the game and give us a head start against them, It was a very good feeling.”

Trea Turner hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to double the Phillies’ lead. They tacked on another insurance run the next inning, off an RBI double from Sosa. He scored Weston Wilson from first base with a line drive to right field.

Wheeler’s pitch count ticked up due to a couple of defensive miscues. Wilson, starting at third base with Alec Bohm out of the lineup, made a fielding error in the third that allowed Braves’ Orlando Arcia to reach first. In the following at-bat, Sosa got Arcia out at second but failed to turn the double play with an errant throw to first.

In the fifth inning, Gio Urshela reached on a bloop hit to shallow left field that dropped between Wilson, Austin Hays, and Turner.

Each time, however, Wheeler picked up his fielders and held the Braves off the scoreboard.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ José Alvarado returns from ‘personal matter,’ thanks team and fans for support

The closest Atlanta came to ending the shutout was when Matt Olson crushed a ball 102.1 mph to dead center in the sixth inning, but Johan Rojas made a catch just at the outfield fence to rob a home run.

“I knew [Olson] got it,” Wheeler said. “I knew he didn’t get all of it like he does sometimes, but I knew, as soon as it left the bat, I knew I hung it a little bit and he hit it. Rojas has got a good jump on it. ... He makes a lot of catches look easier than they really are.”

In the seventh inning, Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II returned the favor by robbing Hays of a home run. Harris jumped up the fence to grab a ball that would have landed in the Phillies’ bullpen.

“The Harris catch is one of the best catches you will ever see in this game,” Thomson said.

Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth, respectively, to seal Wheeler’s win.