One of those opponents was Paul Skenes, who faced Zack Wheeler for the second time this season. This time, the Phillies roughed up Skenes for a career-high eight runs, seven of them earned, across five innings, pushing his ERA to 3.62.
“Skenes has received a lot of attention early in his career, and deservedly so,” Don Mattingly said before the game. “But I like that Wheels is on that stage too, because I don’t think people fully understand how good he is.”
Why not?
“I just don’t think they realize it,” Mattingly said. “People within the industry do, for sure. But with fans, he’s a quiet guy. There isn’t much hype around him. He just keeps pitching well. I want his name talked about the same way it is with other elite pitchers.”
Wheeler would likely be fine without the spotlight. He’d rather just keep pitching.
He entered the fifth inning at 86 pitches after grinding through the oppressive summer heat. He retired the first two Pirates hitters on 12 pitches before giving up a soft single to right by Esmerlyn Valdez and a sharp single to center by Ryan O’Hearn. With Wheeler at 101 pitches, pitching coach Caleb Cotham came out for a mound visit.
Wheeler broke Nick Gonzalez’s bat on the third pitch he threw him, but Gonzalez still managed to bloop a run-scoring single into center. That pushed Wheeler to 104 pitches, matching his season high.
He turned and saw Mattingly coming out of the dugout.
At 36, Wheeler has never hidden his ambitions. He wants to win a World Series. He wants to make as many All-Star teams as possible. And he still wants to capture the Cy Young Award that has narrowly escaped him, a goal made even tougher in 2026 by his delayed season start.
To Wheeler, every inning and every run matters. To the Phillies, he’s a cornerstone who must be protected.
He left two runners on base for left-hander Kyle Backhus, who promptly hit the first two batters he faced, forcing one of Wheeler’s runs home. Because Wheeler didn’t finish the fifth inning, he missed out on what would have been his ninth win of the season. Wins may not mean much to Cy Young voters anymore, but that logic doesn’t apply to Wheeler.
It ended up being Wheeler’s shortest outing of the year, though he still struck out a season-high 10 batters. It was his first double-digit strikeout performance since Aug. 2, 2025, notable because he has been thriving in 2026 without his usual strikeout totals.
He’s no longer as precise as he once was, and his fastball doesn’t have the same velocity, but Wheeler has adapted by leaning on the depth of his arsenal. Still, he has often walked off the mound frustrated this season, feeling that his execution hasn’t matched his results.
That’s the burden of chasing greatness.
Few try to stand in his way, which is why Wheeler often dictates his own terms. Only J.T. Realmuto catches him. Wheeler has his routine, and it isn’t for everyone. He had an understanding with former manager Rob Thomson, who frequently pushed him deep into games. Thirteen of Wheeler’s 24 starts in 2025 reached at least 100 pitches. Wednesday marked just the third time he hit that mark in 13 starts this season, reflecting the Phillies’ more cautious approach.
Wheeler has aged gracefully, defying modern assumptions about what it takes to remain elite. He has done it his way.
Mattingly could say Wheeler was given multiple chances to escape the fifth inning. There are bigger battles ahead. After a miserable 8–18 start before Wheeler returned from the injured list, the Phillies have firmly worked their way back into the National League playoff picture.
The connection is clear.
What was expected to be a pitchers’ duel turned into anything but. Skenes faces a steep climb to repeat as the NL Cy Young winner. Wheeler, a two-time runner-up, knows he must push himself as far as possible every time he takes the mound.
“I think it was a grind for both of us,” Wheeler said. “I’m just happy we got through it.”
More or less.