PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler had a pretty nice career with the New York Mets, even if it was hampered by injuries.
When he signed a free-agent deal with the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the 2020 season, though, Wheeler had never been an MLB All-Star, made a postseason start or pitched 200 innings in a single season.
Once a top prospect, Wheeler was no longer necessarily viewed as the key arm to a rotation. Instead, he was considered a second-tier pitcher who could eat innings, strike batters out and be a dependable starter somewhere around the No. 3 spot.
These days in Philly, Wheeler almost seems like a bargain as the ace of the reigning National League champions.
The 33-year-old right-hander is the Phillies’ most dependable starter as he gets set for Game 1 of the NL Championship Series at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. An NL Cy Young Award runner-up in 2021, Wheeler has topped 200 innings once, gone over 200 strikeouts twice and won a pair of playoff games over four seasons since he signed a $118 million, five-year contract.
After he missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Wheeler has made 90 starts over the past three years.
“Well,” Wheeler said of the expectations heaped on him with his deal, “you have to live up to it, right?”
Not too shabby.
The Atlanta-area native passed on more money (the Chicago White Sox reportedly offered $120 million) to sign with the Phillies because of a preference to stay on the East Coast. Wheeler has blossomed into a No. 1 starter because, yes, he has more years removed from elbow surgery, but he has also cleaned up an unnecessary wrinkle in his delivery and mastered the two-seam and four-seam fastballs.
“I think the biggest thing for me was getting rid of — I used to curl my wrist,” he said. “When I broke it out of my glove, I used to curl my wrist. And that’s one more thing that had to catch up before I went to the plate. As soon as I got rid of that, it was night and day.”
Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and the rest of the Philadelphia sluggers earned the bulk of the credit for a second straight run to the NLCS.
But what team goes anywhere in the postseason without a solid rotation of pitchers? Wheeler, Game 2 starter Aaron Nola and Game 3 starter Ranger Suárez have all pitched like aces in seven playoff starts this month.
Wheeler pitched into the seventh inning in both of his two starts and has struck out 18 batters and walked one. Nola is 2-0 with a dozen strikeouts, two walks and two runs allowed. Suárez, while filling a different role, has walked just one batter so far as the Phillies won both starts the left-hander made.
The Diamondbacks will send out Zac Gallen, who won 17 games during the regular season, for the Game 1 start. Merrill Kelly, a 12-game winner who tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings in an NL Division Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, goes in Game 2. Late-season surprise Brandon Pfaadt is in line for the Game 3 start.
“I remember when I hit as a pitcher, he was probably the toughest at-bat that I had faced,” Gallen said of Wheeler.
The Phillies had 15-game winner Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sánchez each throw two innings of a simulated game Sunday, and they remain in contention for a Game 4 start. With two short series, neither starter has pitched this postseason.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the decision could come down to how much they have to use their bullpen over the first three games. Sánchez has extensive experience as a reliever, while Walker, in the first season of a $72 million, four-year deal, has made 194 career starts. Walker had a rough second half that included a three-start stretch in September where he allowed four, six and five runs.
Thomson said he may not name a starter until after Game 3.
When it comes to their lineup, the Phillies still have not ruled out injured slugger Rhys Hoskins making a return this postseason. Thomson had said Hoskins, who tore the ACL in his left knee in spring training, couldn’t play any earlier than the World Series. Thomson has been more cagey of late about Hoskins’ status, though the first baseman would be unable to do anything but pinch hit. Rosters for the NLCS will be announced Monday.
“He is running bases. He is sliding,” Thomson said. “He is doing pretty much everything except for taking ground balls.”
In addition to preparing for Philadelphia’s pitchers and hitters, the Diamondbacks have been getting ready for their status as the visiting team at Citizens Bank Park for the first two games of the best-of-seven series.
They insist they’re ready for Philly to bring the nose.
The Diamondbacks blasted artificial noise — not unlike what an NFL team would do ahead of a hostile road game — to prepare them for the towel-waving, fired-up, flat-out loud fans who back the Phillies.
The Phillies are 26-11 at home in the postseason since the ballpark opened in 2004, and the .703 winning percentage the best of any home team in the postseason in one stadium (minimum 20 games).
Arizona cranked the noise inside an otherwise empty Chase Field for a scrimmage Friday. The road, though, hasn’t bothered an Arizona team that is 5-0 in the postseason, including 4-0 on the road.
“The crowd noise at Chase was a little more treble than bass,” said Gallen, a New Jersey native. “It was a little more on the annoying side, which I think honestly might have been beneficial. I think just to kind of simulate outfielders being able to communicate and things like that, just something super loud.
“I haven’t been to an environment here like with the Phillies. I’ve been to an Eagles game when they play Dallas, and that gets pretty loud too, so I imagine it’s very similar.”