Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler notched his ninth win of the campaign on Tuesday night against the Reds in Cincinnati. However, despite a dominant 9-1 record, a 2.28 ERA, 98 strikeouts, and a 0.91 WHIP, the 2021 NL strikeout leader was snubbed from the NL All-Star team for the upcoming Midsummer Classic at home in Citizens Bank Park.
Sharing his honest opinion about the snub for pitching just two days before the Midsummer Classic in a regular-season game against the Tigers, Wheeler lashed out at the ballot voting and the unjustifiable rule during his post-game interview last night.
“Sure, I felt like that was kind of a reminder, you know, for whoever needs to be reminded; it pisses me off. So, you know, maybe if I weren’t necessarily right in there, I wouldn’t be saying this, but I feel like I’ve earned it. And just because I pitch on a certain day, I can’t pitch an All-Star game or even be there or get the recognition for it,” Wheeler said.
“They could have done it a few different ways, maybe put me in, maybe I didn’t necessarily have to get chosen right away, but I felt like I was right there. So maybe they put me in and automatically just shoot me right back out and put somebody else in, and you’d figure they would have a clue about it by now, how many All-Star games they’ve had,” he added.
Wheeler is not the only credible pitcher snubbed from the Midsummer Classic; Red Sox ace Sonny Gray suffered a similar fate despite posting a 10-1 record, a 2.61 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP.
Zack Wheeler’s Agent Criticized Phillies Ace Being Snubbed From the Midsummer Classic
After the Midsummer Classic rosters were officially announced on Saturday, Wheeler’s agent, B.B. Abbott, shared his candid thoughts on the Phillies ace being snubbed despite the team’s decent record.
“It’s just tone deaf. I think the whole thing is tone deaf… Major League Baseball knows. Everybody knows what he’s been through. And to not do what you needed to do to let this guy be honored in his home ballpark, it’s ludicrous,” Abbott said.
For now, it seems there will be no further changes to the roster, and Wheeler will make the final start of the first half of the campaign on Sunday against the Tigers in Detroit, where he will face two-time AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
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