Phillies Ace on Historic Roll After Latest Dominant Performance

Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is currently on a historic hot streak.

Mar 4, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the second inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Wednesday was business as usual for Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.

Last year's NL Cy Young runner-up stifled the Colorado Rockies in his first home start of the season, limiting them to just one run on three hits over seven innings. He also racked up 10 strikeouts and threw 67 of his 105 pitches for strikes, leading the Phillies to a 5-1 victory.

Wednesday's outing was Wheeler's 26th career start with double-digit strikeouts. It also continued his recent domination over the Rockies where he has 36 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA across his last four starts against them.

The two-time All-Star -- who also shut down the Washington Nationals on Opening Day -- is off to an incredible start in 2025, picking up where he left off last year.

In his first two outings of the season, he's 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA, a 0.54 WHIP and an MLB-leading 18 strikeouts in 13 innings.

He's a big reason why Philadelphia's pitching staff recorded at least 11 strikeouts in its first five games of the season -- a new MLB record.

None of this is new for Wheeler, who's been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a while.

The 34-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down and is in the midst of a historically good stretch.

Zack Wheeler went 7 innings giving up just 1 run with 10 Ks

He has gone 13 straight starts with 6+ innings, giving up 2 or fewer ERs. The longest streak in franchise history. And he has the most games doing that in baseball over the last 2 seasons

pic.twitter.com/XftDugmay4

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 3, 2025

Dating back to last year, Wheeler has gone at least six innings while allowing two earned runs or less in 13 consecutive regular-season starts. That's the longest streak ever by a Phillies pitcher and the longest since Shane McClanahan's 13-game run for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022.

Wheeler also has the most such starts (6+ IP, 2 ER or less) in baseball over the last two seasons combined.

That speaks to his remarkable consistency, which has been a hallmark of his since he joined Philadelphia in 2020.

Over the last five seasons, he's finished with an ERA between 2.50 and 3.00 four times.

The veteran righty's dependability is a major reason why the Phillies gave him a three-year, $126 million extension that started this season.

If he keeps it up, he might finally win his first Cy Young award this year.

Wheeler will look to extend his streak on the road next week against the hapless Atlanta Braves -- baseball's only winless team at the time of writing.

He's 13-8 with a 2.95 ERA in 30 career starts against the Braves, so don't be surprised if he turns in another strong outing against Philadelphia's NL East rivals.