Atlanta Braves lefty Chris Sale was the NL Cy Young favorite at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, and he was seated in the visitors dugout. But righty Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies gave him a front-row ticket to a terrific outing that served as a reminder that there is still competition for the senior circuit’s top pitching title.
Wheeler had a fantastic night, allowing the Braves to muster just four hits in seven scoreless innings and striking out seven in the Phillies’ 3-0 victory.
When asked if he believed he had included himself in the Cy Young conversation, Wheeler responded, “Yeah, I hope so.”
“It’s just something you look forward to every season, and winning that is one of your personal objectives,” Wheeler said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having personal objectives because if you set them and work hard to reach them, or even just get near, you’re really benefiting the team. Every year, I just try to be the best version of myself because I know it will benefit the team.
The performance contributed to ensuring that the Phillies will complete their final series with the division rivals ahead of the Braves by a minimum of five games in the NL East race, and that they will at least split a vital four-game series with them.
Regarding the Cy Young competition, Wheeler accomplished a self-benefit on Saturday, but he still needs to put in more effort to unseat Sale.
Chris Sale 15-3, 2.58 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 197 strikeouts, 1.02 WHIP, 15 excellent starts, and 5.7 WAR over 153 2/3 innings thrown are the 2024 stats.
13–6, 2.63 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 183 strikeouts, 0.98 WHIP, 22 excellent starts, and 4.4 WAR over 167 2/3 innings thrown are Zack Wheeler’s 2024 stats.
Wheeler’s initial He is now in a position to make a late push for the award, which he has missed out on in each of his four prior Phillies seasons.
More significantly, the Phillies will go into September leading the division and looking to end the Braves’ six-year winning streak and win the NL East for the first time since 2011.
Edmundo Sosa led off the home half of the inning with a 450-foot home slam off of Max Fried after Wheeler worked his way out of a jam with runners on the corners to end the third inning.
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