HOUSTON — Zack Wheeler had more to give.
Let that sink in. Let it wash over you. Who knows what would have happened if the Phillies allowed their best pitcher to face Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez in the sixth inning Saturday night? Maybe the result winds up being the same. Maybe it doesn’t.
But this much we do know: Wheeler’s 70th pitch in the sixth game of the 118th World Series was a 96 mph sinker. And when Jeremy Pena grounded a single up the middle to put runners on the corners and threaten the Phillies’ one-run lead, the only reason to replace Wheeler was that reliever Jose Alvarado throws with his left hand and Alvarez bats from the left side of the plate.
