Zack Wheeler didn’t make the National League All-Star Team, and he answered the slight the only way he really could: by carving up the Cincinnati Reds.
The Phillies right-hander was left off the original roster despite a season that has put him squarely in the All-Star conversation. Philadelphia ended up with five players named to the team initially, including Brandon Marsh in the outfield alongside Juan Soto of the New York Mets and Andy Pages of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kyle Schwarber as the second designated hitter, and Bryce Harper as a legend pick by commissioner Rob Manfred. On the pitching side, closer Jhoan Duran and ace Cristopher Sanchez got the nod, and Jesus Luzardo later joined as a replacement after a few pitchers pulled out.
Wheeler, though, was the obvious omission. He won’t be added as a replacement, either, because he starts on Sunday and likely wouldn’t take part in the game. That didn’t sit well with him, and he made it clear after his outing against Cincinnati that the snub has been sticking with him.
"You figure they'd have a clue about it by now with how many All-Star Games they've had,” Wheeler said while speaking to the media after the game at his locker.
He was even more direct about the rule keeping him out of the game.
Zack Wheeler said it "pisses me off" that he wasn't named an All-Star, and being ruled ineligible to pitch in the game due to his start on Sunday is a "BS rule.""You figure they'd have a clue about it by now with how many All-Star Games they've had." pic.twitter.com/gTWLXlxiAF
If Wheeler wanted a response on the field, he delivered one in a big way. Against the Reds, he worked seven innings and allowed four hits, didn’t issue a walk, and gave up just one earned run on an Eugenio Suarez solo homer in the bottom of the seventh.
The strike zone was Wheeler’s playground. He threw 69 of his 104 pitches for strikes and matched a career high with 14 strikeouts. Cincinnati’s starting lineup all struck out at least once, Jonathan Bowlan added a strikeout in the eighth, and Duran finished the ninth by striking out all three batters he faced.
Wheeler is scheduled to take the mound again in the Phillies’ final game of the first half against the Detroit Tigers on July 12, and after this performance, the encore should be worth watching.
His case for All-Star recognition is hard to ignore: a 9-1 record, 2.28 ERA, and 98 strikeouts in 14 starts across 87 innings pitched.
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