Spring Training Game 17 - Phils Offense Can't Support Wheels

1969 Topps #229

Yankees 2, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 17 - Monday Afternoon, March 11th in Clearwater
Record - 6-8-3

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler appears ready for the season, as he tossed three shutout innings against the Yankees on Monday afternoon, in a game lost by the Phillies, 2-1.

What It Means:  Opening day is 17 days away.

What Happened:  Wheeler didn't allow a hit and struck out three in his 47-pitch outing.  The bullpen shut down the Yankees until the eighth when Oscar Gonzalez hit a two-run home run off Luis F. Ortiz.  The Phillies offense was quiet all afternoon, with only five hits, including doubles from Whit Merrifield and Aramis Garcia.  Garcia's double came in the ninth, and he'd score the Phillies' only run following a David Dahl sacrifice fly.

Featured Card:  I'm going to save my Wheeler cards for the regular season, as I'm hoping to be featuring quite a few of them.  I'm still plugging along on my 1969 Topps blog, and I'm almost caught up on posts for cards purchased over a year ago at the March 2023 Philly Show.  Here's outfielder Don Lock's card from the set, recently featured here, and it looks as if Lock could use some sunglasses.

Camp Head Count:  59

In the first roster moves of the spring, Tyler Phillips (rhp) and Griff McGarry (rhp) were reassigned to minor league camp and Michael Mercado (rhp) was optioned to Triple-A.  Mercado impressed during his outings, and it's likely he'll be back at some point in 2024.