Phillies shocking news: Despite Alec Bohm and JT Realmuto powering the Phillies to a 7-3 victory over the Washington Nationals, all eyes remained on Zack Wheeler, whose performance stole the spotlight in a way no one expected.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alec Bohm’s two-run double in the 10th inning and J.T. Realmuto’s two-run triple helped the Philadelphia Phillies secure a 7-3 victory over the Washington Nationals, marking a strong start to their NL East title defense.

Zack Wheeler pitched six solid innings for the Phillies, surrendering just two hits and one run, which came in the fifth inning when Keibert Ruiz hit a homer to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead. On the other side, Washington’s MacKenzie Gore delivered a dominant performance, recording a career-high 13 strikeouts while allowing just one hit in six shutout innings.

The game saw a shift in momentum in the seventh inning when former Nationals Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber both launched first-pitch homers off Washington’s relievers, putting Philadelphia ahead 2-1. The Phillies extended their lead to 3-1 in the eighth, but the Nationals responded in the bottom of the inning, tying the game at 3-3 against Phillies reliever Jordan Romano.

With the game deadlocked, Jose Alvarado (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth, setting up the 10th inning. Matt Strahm then took the mound for Philadelphia, holding off any Nationals threat.

In the 10th, Colin Poche (0-1) was on the mound for Washington when Bohm delivered a clutch two-run double, giving the Phillies the lead. Eduardo Salazar then came in to pitch for the Nationals, but he gave up a two-run triple to Realmuto, further padding Philadelphia’s advantage.

The game ended with the Phillies taking the win, with their pitchers and timely hitting proving key in securing the victory.