PHILADELPHIA -- Zack Wheeler knew he needed three strikeouts on Tuesday night to reach 2,000 for his career.
He wasted no time.
Wheeler set a Phillies record when he struck out the first seven batters of the game in a 6-4 victory over the Brewers (98-59) at Citizens Bank Park. He passed Brandon Duckworth’s mark of six straight strikeouts to start a game on Aug. 5, 2002, against the Dodgers. Wheeler’s first-inning punchout of Brice Turang to end the first was the milestone K.
It helped the Phillies move closer to a fifth consecutive trip to the postseason. They can clinch an NL Wild Card spot as early as Wednesday night with another win and an Arizona loss at Colorado.
“It’s really cool,” Wheeler said about 2,000 strikeouts. “It’s special. Some of the guys asked me in here, ‘Would you have ever thought?’ And the answer is no. You know, getting into the league, trying to get your feet under you, trying to last in the game early on. Just trying to stay up in the big leagues and trying to figure out how to throw strikes. That was hard for me. Just being where I am now, it's pretty special. It’s a huge thank you to all the catchers that I've had along the way that helped me get here, the coaches and the guys that played behind me. It means a lot to me, and I really appreciate everybody's effort around it.”
Wheeler is the 96th pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,000 strikeouts. It’s a group that includes Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, who reached the milestone earlier this season. They are the second pair of teammates to reach that mark in the same season. Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy first did it with the 2014 Giants.
What a journey it has been. Wheeler underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2015, following his second season with the Mets. He didn’t return until 2017.
“The road was hard coming back from that,” Wheeler said. “That was another point where I just didn't know what to expect because it was taking longer than what we all expected at the time. I was just trying to get back out there, kind of like starting over again and I was able to figure it out.”
Wheeler became one of the game’s best pitchers once he joined the Phillies in 2020. He has finished second for the NL Cy Young twice since.
But then, in 2025, Wheeler had a season-ending blood clot near his right shoulder in August, followed by thoracic outlet surgery in September.
“Coming off of a major injury and big surgery, in the back of your head, you don't know what to expect,” Wheeler said.
But Wheeler returned in late April. He went 13-5 with a 3.06 ERA in 27 starts.
“I don’t know if you could ask for much more,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said.
Wheeler might make one more regular-season start in Sunday’s finale against the Rays. But if the Phillies clinch a Wild Card spot in the coming days, the Phillies could skip his start so he is fully rested to pitch in one of the first two games of the NL Wild Card Series, which begins on Tuesday.
Wheeler looked October-ready early. He struck out Garrett Mitchell swinging on a splitter to start the game. Jackson Chourio struck out looking on a sinker. Turang whiffed at a 96.3 mph fastball.
Wheeler got William Contreras (splitter), Jake Bauers (94.8 mph fastball) and Christian Yelich (95.6 mph fastball) swinging in the second. He got Luis Lara swinging on a curveball to start the third.
“I didn't know what to expect coming out,” Wheeler said. “Just one of those days for me.”
Mitchell’s bloop single over third baseman Bryson Stott’s glove in the fourth inning led to Milwaukee’s first run. Contreras’ soft line drive up the middle with two outs in the sixth scored two runs to tie the game.
Wheeler threw a first-pitch sinker down and in.
“The only thing I'm really upset about is that pitch I made to Contreras,” Wheeler said. “I wanted to go in, but it was down. I wanted it up more. You know, down's a little easier to hit than up. That's probably what I was most upset about tonight, and probably the pitch I hate the most so far this season.”
Wheeler hopes he has a few more starts in the postseason to make up for it.