Zack Wheeler pitches a one-hit masterpiece in a 3-1 Phillies victory against the Reds

Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jul 6, 2025

Published in Baseball

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PHILADELPHIA — Bryson Stott hit the home run that put the Phillies ahead in the eighth inning Sunday. But it wasn’t for another few minutes that the crowd stood, clapped and chanted.

“Let’s go, Wheeler!”

It began after Zack Wheeler ascended the dugout steps and trotted back to the mound for the ninth inning. And it kept going, right until the last out was recorded.

Wheeler, about an hour before the National League All-Star team was announced, finished off a 108-pitch, one-hit masterpiece in a 3-1 victory over the Reds. It clinched a series victory and sent the Phillies to the West Coast for their final push before the All-Star break.

And get this: It marked Wheeler’s first complete game in four years — since Aug. 8, 2021, a two-hit shutout against the Mets.

It also might have put an exclamation mark on the only real uncertainty about Wheeler’s All-Star credentials. He was a shoo-in to make the team. Nobody needed to wait for the official announcement.

The only question is whether he should be the National League’s starting pitcher.

Any doubt now?

Save for Austin Hays’ leadoff homer in the fifth inning, Wheeler was perfect.

One hit.

No walks.

Twelve strikeouts.

Total dominance.

The Phillies tied the game in the fifth inning on a two-out RBI double by Kyle Schwarber after the Reds turned to a lefty reliever (Sam Moll).

But they squandered chances to give Wheeler a lead in the sixth and seventh innings. Brandon Marsh waged a seven-pitch at-bat but struck out to leave the bases loaded in the sixth. In the seventh, Nick Castellanos struck out with the go-ahead run on third.

It stayed tied until J.T. Realmuto singled and Stott went deep in the eighth against Reds reliever Tony Santillan.

Manager Rob Thomson stuck with Wheeler in the ninth. He struck out Will Benson on a 97.7 mph fastball, his 104th pitch of the game. After Santiago Espinal lined out, Wheeler got TJ Friedl to fly out to end the game.