Apr 2, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
Zack Wheeler struck out 10 Colorado Rockies Wednesday, and it almost felt pedestrian.
It shouldn't.
But since Wheeler put on the red pinstripes in 2020, he's been so consistently great that it's not hard to fall into the trap of taking it for granted.
Consider this: Wednesday was Wheeler's 135th regular-season start with the Phillies. It was the 92nd time that he's turned in a quality start, which is defined by going at least six innings and allowing three or fewer runs. Quite often Wheeler will go more than six innings and surrender less than three runs, as he did last night. For reference, the only other pitchers in baseball with more than 80 quality starts over that period are Corbin Burnes (84) and Framber Valdez (83).
Tonight was Zack Wheeler’s 135th start as a Phillie. Over that span, he has a 2.92 ERA and 92 quality starts. It’s hard to be much better than that.
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Today isn't the time or place to discuss it, but as Mike Petriello of MLB.com pointed out in the offseason, Wheeler is pitching himself into the Hall of Fame discussion. Think about it, this is the sixth season of the decade, and Wheeler leads all pitchers with a 25.0 WAR. Perhaps his biggest competition for being the best pitcher of the 2020s is Gerrit Cole, who is out for the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Another competitor for that crown is Sandy Alcántara, but he missed all of 2024.
Whether or not Wheeler ends up in Cooperstown, the incredible stretch he's had with the Phillies shouldn't be taken for granted. On Pattison spoke with some of his teammates, and asked them to identify what has made Wheeler so successful.
"I mean, he just gets better every year. He's always working, always trying to get better ... if that's on the mound or the weight room or training room or anything else. He's always trying to succeed at the highest level. So I don't think anything's ever enough for him, and [he's a] great teammate, great person, all those things. So things have come together for him the last couple years, and it's a lot of fun to watch him."
"Honestly, I think just his constant ability to adapt. He's changed his arsenal a lot since he's been with the Mets, using his pitches a little differently. And then he just kind of keeps evolving. Like today, he'd probably tell you he didn't have his best stuff ... like his command didn't feel great ... but he's able to mix differently. Like today, we featured the split a little more often than we usually do. Just every time out, he finds a way to get outs and still be effective, even when he's not at his best."
"That's what's tough about him is it's almost like he lulls you to sleep a little bit and then he's throwing 95 to 98 [mph]. It looks like he's going through the motions but he's in command of everything, throwing all his pitches kind of whenever he wants and getting weak contact, throwing strikes.
"He's the total package, he's been really good for us for a while. I never liked facing him on the other side, obviously. I got a couple hits but they weren't pretty ... a lot of ugliness. And that's kind of the only way to beat him really is to kind get lucky."
Trea Turner explains what makes Zack Wheeler so successful.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/JcsLo5xoxX
"You know, man — he's Zack Wheeler. Everybody knows Wheeler, like he's the man. I'm so happy to see him and to see everybody here on my team is in a good spot."
"Just his consistency [makes him so successful]. Every time he takes the mound, he's got that laser focus and he's dialed in. And just being able to do it every five days consistently, I think that's the most impressive part."
