Phillies waste splendid outing from ace Zack Wheeler as bats go cold in Game 1 loss to Mets

By DAN GELSTON The Associated Press

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper, second right, looks on from the dugout with teammates during the ninth inning of Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the New York Mets, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Chris Szagola]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Zack Wheeler touched 99 mph as he threw all 11 of his pitches for strikes in the first inning Saturday, the Philadelphia Phillies’ ace offering a tantalizing peek at his dominant playoff outing ahead. Wheeler kept wheeling and dealing from there in the NL Division Series opener and stuck it to his old team, the New York Mets — nine strikeouts and a whopping 30 swings-and-misses over 111 pitches in seven shutout innings of one-hit ball. It was a bit of pitching mastery for the two-time All-Star. But once he left, the wheels fell off for the Phillies as they allowed five runs in the eighth and lost 6-2.