There is only one game left in the 2024 regular season, and with the Philadelphia Phillies setting their sights on a much bigger prize, there is nothing else they need to accomplish.

With their loss on Saturday, the Phillies were officially anchored to second place in the National League standings and were unable to secure home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs, but still managed to earn a first-round bye.

Considering what they’ve accomplished as a Wild Card team over the last two years, Philadelphia should be excited about the position they’re in.

Regardless, the team still lost its final series of the year on Saturday, despite their ace making his final appearance of the regular season.

Zack Wheeler took the mound trying to keep the Phillies alive and set the best overall record in Major League Baseball, which would have given them home field advantage in the playoffs. And although he pitched well with just two earned runs and just three hits over 6.2 innings in which he racked up 11 strikeouts, he was not awarded a decision, ending his campaign with a 16-7 record and an ERA of Finished 2.67.

The right-hander has been an absolute star since joining Philadelphia, and it’s a shame to see him finish second in the Cy Young voting for the second time in his career. However, he made history himself and did something no other pitcher in franchise history has done.

With his performance on Saturday, Wheeler became the first pitcher in Phillies history to make 11 consecutive starts with two or fewer runs allowed Matt yellow from The athlete.

That streak began on August 4, six days after he came under fire for seven earned runs against the New York Yankees.

This outing was an anomaly during his time in Philadelphia. Wheeler has posted a 2.94 ERA in his 133 starts and 829.1 innings since joining the franchise prior to 2020, putting together one of the best runs this organization has ever seen.

He’s been a hit since joining the Phillies, becoming a fixture throughout the regular season and being the No. 1 prospect whenever he comes out on top in the playoffs for the last two years.

Wheeler has become a superstar, and this recent performance just shows how good he has been.

With his final start coming on Saturday, the right-hander can now focus on dominating Philadelphia in the playoffs, as he has done in the last two postseasons, posting a 2.42 ERA in his 11 starts.