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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler missed the first few weeks of the season recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, but the way he’s looked on the mound, no one could have ever guessed it.
The 36-year-old is pitching like an All-Star, but he has not yet been named one, and Wheeler thinks a “BS rule” is the result.
In 14 starts, Wheeler is pitching to a 2.28 ERA (22 earned runs/87.0 innings pitched) and a 0.908 WHIP. Both would be career bests. Wheeler is just five innings shy of qualifying for the ERA title (one inning per team game played, so essentially 162 innings), but among pitchers with at least 80 innings under their belt, his ERA is the sixth-lowest.
However, it isn’t the injury that is keeping the Philadelphia Phillies pitcher from playing the Midsummer Classic in his home ballpark but rather his pitching schedule, he said.
“It p—– me off. It’s kind of BS, so. Maybe if I wasn’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 in the All-Star Game or even be there or get the recognition for it…” Wheeler told reporters on Tuesday.
“I think it’s kind of just a BS rule, just because I pitch on a certain day, I get punished for it, I guess.”
CITY OF PHILADELPHIA MAY HAVE LEAKED SOME MLB ALL-STARS HOURS BEFORE THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
Wheeler tossed seven innings of one-run ball while striking out 14 Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, which would line him up to start Sunday on normal rest, two days before the All-Star Game.
“The second and third days (of rest) are when I usually throw my bullpen,” Wheeler said, noting that he would have been fine to pitch an inning in the All-Star Game, as most pitchers do anyway.
Pitching schedules have determined who is available for the Midsummer Classic, but it’s not known whether they have strictly determined All-Star selections.
According to someone familiar with the selection process, the majority of All-Star pitching selections are made through a joint process between MLB and the MLB Players Association, with players and coaches selecting five starting pitchers in each league before MLB fills several of the remaining roster spots. Jacob Misiorowski, Cristopher Sánchez, Chris Sale, Chase Burns and Paul Skenes were selected through that process.
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Players have been snubbed in the past due to MLB’s rule that at least one player from each team must be represented.
All-Stars were announced earlier this week, but more reserves could be added, with many determined by availability for the game.
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