Zack Wheeler brings experience, sense of calm to NLDS Game 1 start: After 63 years and 1,081 regular season meetings – Saturday will mark the very first time that the Phillies and Mets will face off against each other in the postseason. Throughout the team’s long-standing rivalry, it was rare the clubs were both competitive at the same time.
They spent time battling in the National League, and eventually the National League East, and strong seasons weren’t the only thing the teams traded back and forth. These long-time rivals have also shared their fair share of players. The most recent, and possibly the most impactful player to go from New York to Philadelphia, is Philly’s Game 1 starter – Zack Wheeler.
Zack Wheeler’s journey to Philadelphia
Wheeler was always a man destined for big moments like this. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, Wheeler thrived in the San Francisco Giants system prior to being traded to the Mets. New York was prepared to have him be a part of a young, dominant pitching staff. After making his debut in 2013, he showed promise that he would be a key member of their group for the foreseeable future. In 2015, however, things changed. During Spring Training that year, Wheeler suffered a UCL tear that required Tommy John surgery, keeping him out all of 2015 and complications forced him to miss the entire 2016 season, as well.
That year, his former club still found their way to postseason success, making it all the way to the World Series where they lost to the Kansas City Royals. Wheeler told long-time Mets beat writer Mike Puma for his book that he asked the Mets to let him be with the team during the postseason run. They wouldn’t allow him to do so, recommending he stay in Florida to rehab. When inquiring about attending games in the stands, they told him he would have to purchase his way in the building:
When later discussing his impending free agency, Zack Wheeler told New York sports columnist John Harper, “I won’t forget that.” He watched the 2015 playoff from his couch, instead of being with his teammates. The Mets only had one playoff game during his tenure in New York – a game in which Wheeler did not appear.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man
Since signing with Philadelphia after the 2019 season, the 34-year-old has had a more up-close-and-personal relationship with the postseason. The Phillies have made the playoffs each year since 2022, and Wheeler has been a major part of their success in those runs.
Seven years after having to watch his team play on the biggest stage through his television, Wheeler finally had his chance to shine. Over the past two postseasons, the Phillies ace has pitched 63.1 innings over 10 starts, with a 2.42 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 68 strikeouts, and just 10 walks.
This far removed from the drama of that 2015 season, Wheeler has a different perspective on things. The Mets organization is completely different. He’s different: “It’s fun playing against those guys always. But at the same time, I’ve been over here for a while now and there’s no hard feelings there.” Wheeler told reporters Friday. “Things kind of changed over there personnel wise. So like I said, there’s no hard feelings. It’s just baseball at this point. But, you know, at the end of the day – I’m gonna win.”
Phillies manager Rob Thomson and catcher J.T. Realmuto also spoke with reporters prior to Friday’s workout, and they both spoke about Zack Wheeler’s composure as a big reason as to why he has been so successful in postseason. “I think it’s calmness. I don’t think he gets rattled at any time,” Thomson said when asked what besides his talent has led to Wheeler’s success. “ I think it’s just his poise and his calmness that gives him an edge.”
Wheeler admitted that even after two deep playoff runs, he still gets nerves before big games, even though he’s done this many times now. While he added those nerves dissipate when he steps on the field, his battery mate was sort of surprised by that – noting his ace typically has a more pensive demeanor prior to games:
Honestly, talking to him in meetings before every single game – Sometimes it looks like he’s actually about to fall asleep about an hour before the game. He’s just that calm. It’s almost like he’s, I don’t know if he is or not, but it almost seems like he’s meditating – like he’s just laying there listening and focusing.” Realmuto continued: “He never really seems nervous to me, but I’m sure – I mean, everybody’s gonna be feeling that this time of year”
A shot at redemption for Zack Wheeler
While he may be years removed from his Mets tenure, pitching in the same division means those hitters, both old teammates and new faces, know him as well as anyone. This version of New York, the one scratching and clawing as Philadelphia did just two seasons ago, faced Wheeler just a few weeks ago. Zack talked about what that means when it comes to his approach:
“There’s a lot of familiarity there.They know me, I know them. It’s kind of a cat and mouse game at this point,” Wheeler told reporters. “I last pitched against them, what, two starts ago, two weeks ago, whatever it was. So it was pretty fresh, but at the same time, we get out there, see how the game starts going – Maybe we change some things up, maybe we don’t. I’m gonna pitch to, my strengths and how I pitch. And if we need to veer from that, we will.”
Zack Wheeler will likely finish just short of winning the Cy Young Award for the second time in cherry pinstripes. He’s received votes for the award in three of four seasons since coming to Philadelphia, including finishing runner-up in 2021. He’s not focused on individual conquests, though. He’s ready to win. Last year’s heartbreak against Arizona hurt the club, Wheeler told reporters. “But we’re that much more hungry this year. Kind of left a bad taste in our mouth and we don’t want to do that for our fans.”
Watching his old club in 2015, he was hungry for the energy of the postseason. After getting a taste the past two years, that hunger has started to pang. Now, as he prepares for Game 1 of the NLDS, it’s clear Wheeler is not just here to play in a supporting role – he’s a star of the show. The noise, the energy, the stakes and pressure that comes along with them – it’s all part of what Zack Wheeler’s been waiting for since that long recovery back in 2015. And unlike then, no one is asking him to stay at home – they want him at the head of the table, ready to eat.
Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
