PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler isn’t ready to make any announcement.
He wants to wait until next year before deciding for sure.
But remember those original plans of returning to health this year, pitching one final season in 2027, and then sailing off into the sunset with his family, calling it a career?
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Well, ever so quietly, those plans are on hold.
Wheeler has yet to open talks about a contract extension with the Phillies, but the way he’s dominating, the way Hall of Fame voters are changing their view for entrance to Cooperstown, he’s not sure he’s ready to say good-bye.
“Never say never,” Wheeler, 10-2, 2.16 ERA, told USA TODAY Sports after his latest brilliant performance Tuesday night in the Phillies’ 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. “We’ll see. It’ll probably depend on what happens next year. It’s something to think about for sure.”
Phillies executives privately believe that Wheeler will ultimately change his mind, and instead of retiring when his contract expires after the 2027 season, that he’ll want to continue pitching, taking him on a potential road to Cooperstown.
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If the day comes he’s ready to talk about delaying those retirement plans, the Phillies are all ears.
“It’s tough,” says Wheeler, who with his wife, Dominique, are raising four children (ages 6, 4, 2, 1). “My kids are growing up and they’re at that age where it’s important to have both parents around. I’m going to be there for that and see them grow and be successful in life. So, we’ll see.”
Really, Wheeler never imagined that he’d be facing this decision. Just 10 months ago, Wheeler was lying in the hospital, having his rib removed near his right shoulder during his thoracic outlet decompression surgery, with the Phillies and everyone else wondering if he’d ever step on the mound again after his season-ending blood clot.
These days, he’s the hottest pitcher on the planet, and despite missing the first month of the season, is starting to find himself in the National League Cy Young conversation.
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Wheeler, who gave up five hits and two runs with nine strikeouts and no walks in seven innings on Tuesday, just missed being the first pitcher since Atlanta’s Spencer Strider in 2023 to strike out at least 10 batters in four consecutive games. Wheeler, with 43 strikeouts and just three walks in his last four starts, is only the second Phillies pitcher in history to accomplish the feat. He now has 20 games with at least nine strikeouts and no walks, the most in Phillies history, and the only pitcher to accomplish the feat in MLB since he joined the Phillies in 2020.
“Maybe my strikeout numbers aren’t what they have been for my career, per game,” Wheeler said. “So, I do see that. I wanted to get that back up, I’m not going to lie to you. Maybe with two strikes, I make a little more concerted effort to punch a guy out.”
It’s a tremendous achievement to simply return and be part of the Phillies’ starting rotation, but quite another to absolutely dominate, actually pitching better than a year ago when he was in Cy Young contention before his season-ending blood clot.
“I always saw myself coming back to who I was, or even better,” Wheeler said. “Getting those innings in, getting the strikeouts, and getting some wins. So, that was always the mindset coming back, and I’m thankful.”
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It’s this determination and domination that could eventually vault Wheeler into Hall of Fame debates, but if he’s ever going to have his plaque hanging in the museum with the other all-time greats, he needs to keep pitching. He has just 123 career victories, 42 shy of Sandy Koufax, who produced the fewest victories (165) by a Hall of Fame pitcher in nearly 90 years.
Realistically, if Wheeler wants to be elected into the Hall of Fame, he needs more victories.
And for Wheeler to get more victories, he needs to continue pitching.
“The Hall of Fame would be life-changing, you know, something I don’t take lightly,” Wheeler says. “It’s definitely something that everybody shoots for coming into pro baseball, even as a kid. You want your face and name on that plaque. It’s there forever.
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“But at the same time, I’m human. I’m a family man. So, if that time calls, then it is what it is.”
Yet, it’s not as if Wheeler is showing any signs of digression. The 36-year-old continues to defy Father Time. You look, and there hasn’t been a better pitcher in baseball since his arrival to Philadelphia seven years ago. He is 79-38 with a 2.84 ERA and 1,202 strikeouts, and easily has the best WAR (33.3) of any pitcher during the stretch.
Could this stretch possibly be good enough to garner Hall of Fame support if he doesn’t pitch past 2027, finishing his career with fewer than 150 victories?
“I don’t know,” Wheeler said, “maybe a couple of awards might help something like that. But I really don’t know. Things will have to change voting-wise, just because nobody’s going to get 300 wins or whatever it was. It’s just a different game.
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“Me, I’m an old-school guy. I want to do all of the stuff they did, right? But it’s just a different game with these young guys. So, things will have to change. Maybe I’ll catch that luck or something.”
Well, if Wheeler keeps pitching like this, that first award could be the Cy Young. He has four top-10 Cy Young finishes, but has never won. He also has three All-Star selections on his resume, but was livid that he wasn’t selected to the All-Star Game this year. When he finally was chosen as an alternate, he passed, saying, “They disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate.”
He has taken that rage out on opposing hitters since the All-Star announcement, going 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA in his last three starts, allowing 11 hits and striking out 33 batters with only two walks in 20 innings.
So now that the saga is over, will he keep pitching with anger, serving as motivation?
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“Yeah, why not,” he said. “It seems to be working. Just find a way. That’s the biggest thing. It’s a long season. It’s a ton of starts. You’ve got to pick your battles and just try to go out there and do well every time.”
Perhaps the next will be with the Cy Young voters, convincing them that while he might not have the innings quite yet to qualify for the ERA title, he’s building a resume that could lead to the ultimate pitching award.
And, perhaps, one that could one day help lead him through those doors of Cooperstown, too.
Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zack Wheeler’s dominance has Phillies ace building case for Hall of Fame
