Zack Wheeler looked like a man on a mission tonight, and the Boston Red Sox had no answer. In what turned out to be a masterclass of efficiency, Wheeler cruised through 7.1 innings on just 87 pitches, allowing only one run as the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Red Sox 2-1.

It's almost hard to remember that Wheeler was considered a question mark just a few weeks ago. Tonight, he was vintage Wheeler—sharp, economical, and in complete control. He needed only six pitches to retire the side in each of the first two innings, and just four to breeze through the third. The Red Sox were swinging early and often, but Wheeler kept them off balance, inducing two double plays in the first three innings alone. He didn't throw more than two pitches to any batter until facing Jarren Duran in the fourth, who eventually went down on six pitches with a strikeout.

The Phillies gave Wheeler all the offense he'd need in the first two frames. Leading off the game, Kyle Schwarber wasted no time against Boston left-handed opener Jovani Morán, crushing his seventh first-inning home run of the season. That blast tied the Phillies franchise record for homering in five straight games—Schwarber became the eighth player in team history to achieve the feat, and the first since Trea Turner in 2023.

In the second inning, Brandon Marsh extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a first-pitch single to right field. J.T. Realmuto then moved Marsh into scoring position with a groundout to the pitcher. That small ball paid off when Bryson Stott ripped a 109 MPH cutter down the right-field line that hopped over the short Fenway wall for a ground-rule double, scoring Marsh and giving the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

That turned out to be all the offense Philadelphia would get—they managed only three more baserunners the rest of the game. But with Zack Wheeler on the mound, it was more than enough. The Phillies' ace was in cruise control, and the wheels kept on rolling all night long.