Phillies' Zack Wheeler Calls Late All-Star Nod 'Pity Party'

Less than a full calendar year after undergoing surgery due to a blood clot that was discovered near his right shoulder, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler has been putting forth a career-best effort.

He has started 14 games so far and has a 9-1 record, and his earned run average 2.28 and WHIP of 0.908 have never been better. At the age of 36, he has been delivering peak performance for a Phillies team that has dramatically turned things around since a 9-19 start.

But Wheeler was nowhere to be found when the initial roster for Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game was announced. Many were outraged by the apparent snub, and Wheeler's agent, B.B. Abbott, didn't hold back when, among other things, he called the decision "tone deaf."

The decision surely hurt even more since this year's All-Star game is taking place in Philadelphia, the market he has called home since 2020.

A few days later, Wheeler was offered a spot on the National League All-Star roster as a replacement player. He said no, and he had some strong words for what he felt was really happening, per The Athletic.

“I don’t need a pity party,” Wheeler said. “I don’t need somebody saying, ‘He’s had major surgery. Look at him now.’ I don’t need that. It was my plan to come back as who I was or even better.”

Wheeler has previously been chosen to play in the Mid-Summer Classic three times, including in both of the last two seasons. He recently announced that he plans on retiring once his current contract, which expires after next season, ends. With a potential lockout that could result in the 2027 campaign getting canceled looming, this could be Wheeler's final go-around.

Teammate Cristopher Sanchez, who is on the NL All-Star roster, defended him, and he knows how Wheeler feels after not being chosen last year.

“He’s an All-Star in my heart,” Sanchez said via team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “The same thing happened to me last year. Same situation. I think they’ve got to fix that.”

Sanchez was referring to a Major League Baseball rule that stipulates that a pitcher who starts on the Sunday before the All-Star game cannot get an All-Star nod.

As if to send a message to those who left him off their ballots, Wheeler came out with a vengeance in his last start on Tuesday, July 7 versus the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched seven innings and gave up just one hit on a solo home run by Eugenio Suárez in a 7-1 win.

Wheeler is scheduled to start on Sunday, July 12th at the Detroit Tigers. Philadelphia defeated Detroit 4-2 on Saturday and can take the series with another win on Sunday at Comerica Park.

They currently has a 53-43 record and trails the first-place Atlanta Braves by two games.

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