Pitching to perfection is nearly impossible in the sport of baseball. It's a feat many pitchers can only dream of experiencing, but that didn't stop Philadelphia Phillies' ace Zack Wheeler from attempting it on Sunday, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. Wheeler was a man on a mission Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, as not only was he looking to win the series for the Phillies, but also continue his relentless pursuit of an NL Cy Young Award.
Wheeler cruised through four innings, only tossing 44 pitches and not allowing a single baserunner in the process. That was until Austin Hays, last year's trade deadline acquisition, stepped to the plate in the fifth inning with something to prove.
Austin Hays taunts Phillies fans as Reds' lone bright spot on Sunday
Hays turned on a 3-1, 97 mph fastball from Wheeler and broke the scoreless tie with a wall-scraping home run to right field and gave the Reds a 1-0 lead. The first hit and subsequent run also broke up any chance of a perfect game, per Brooke Destra of NBC Sports Philadelphia. What was even more interesting was Hays' "I can't hear you" motion to the crowd while rounding third base as boos rained down from the Citizens Bank Park stands.
How nice of them to cheer "wooooooo" for Austin's homer pic.twitter.com/SfOLhlzsvJ
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 6, 2025
Phillies fans weren't happy, especially with Hays being the person to homer in that spot. Hays was sick or injured for the majority of the time he was a Phillie, but wasn't good when he was on the field. In 22 games, he put up a .672 OPS, 83 OPS+ and hit just two home runs and six RBIs. Seemingly out of nowhere for the Reds this season, he has an .866 OPS, 125 OPS+, eight home runs and 31 RBIs through 39 games.
As fate would have it, that showboating home run celebration by Hays would be the only sign of life from the Reds' offense.
Zack Wheeler dominates with near perfect game for Phillies despite Hays' home run
As far as Wheeler was concerned about the perfect game bid being broken up with a home run, it changed absolutely nothing. Wheeler went on to finish with one of the greatest single-game performances he has ever had, coming off one of the best months he has ever had.
Wheeler went on to complete the game with 22 swings and misses, 12 strikeouts, no walks and just one hit on just 108 pitches, 74 of which were strikes. It was the fifth complete game of Wheeler's career and his first since 2021. The Phillies got a massive boost thanks to Bryson Stott's two-run homer in the eighth inning to propel Wheeler to a 3-1 victory.
Zack Wheeler goes the distance! pic.twitter.com/ds3p2OxzpQ
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2025
Wheeler earned every bit of the win and bumped his season record to 9-3, with a 2.17 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 148 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched. He now leads all NL starters in strikeouts, WHIP and batting average against (.177). His season was also more than sufficient to earn himself his third All-Star selection, all of which have been with the Phillies.
The way Wheeler has pitched this season, there's no question he'll finish in the Cy Young conversation by season's end. The Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes has been the biggest opposition all season long, but Wheeler has the proven track record to meet every season milestone needed to get the hardware. If you ask Phillies fans, it's Wheeler's award to lose and with every passing start, it's getting harder to argue otherwise.