The Philadelphia Phillies used a strong start from Zack Wheeler and a misplayed ball in right field to build an 8-2 lead, then held on for dear life in the ninth to post an 8-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates Thursday night in the first game of a four-game series at PNC Park.
The Pirates, who with the exception of Cal Mitchell had been in an offensive stupor all night, awoke in the ninth to push across five runs and brought the tying run to the plate. But after Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez retired Oneil Cruz on an RBI groundout, he got Ke’Bryan Hayes to fly out to right for the final out.