Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Ace Does Something Not Seen in Over 100 Years

NL Cy Young runner-up Zack Wheeler did something this past season for the Philadelphia Phillies not seen since the Deadball Era.

Tyler Maher

Oct 5, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws a pitch against the New York Mets.
Oct 5, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws a pitch against the New York Mets. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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The 2024 season was another year of close-but-no-cigar for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Despite winning the NL East and finishing with the second-best record in baseball behind the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies were bounced from the postseason for the third year in a row. They only managed one win in the playoffs, getting eliminated in the NLDS, 3-1, by the rival New York Mets.

While many players are to blame for Philadelphia's disappointing early exit, Zack Wheeler isn't one of them.

The veteran ace was stellar in his lone postseason start, firing seven innings of one-hit ball in Game 1.

Unfortunately, his teammates squandered the gem, losing 6-2. Wheeler would have gotten the ball again in Game 5 if the Phillies had extended the series, but he never got another chance.

The 34-year-old righty suffered another tough defeat in the offseason, finishing runner-up to Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale in the NL Cy Young voting.

Sale, who won the NL pitching Triple Crown, crushed Wheeler in the voting, earning 26 first-place votes to Wheeler's four.

Still, the disappointing ending to Wheeler's campaign doesn't diminish what an incredible and historic season it was.

In fact, he had the lowest WHIP by a Philadelphia starting pitcher in over a century.

In addition to leading the National League this year, Wheeler's 0.955 WHIP was the lowest by a Phillies starting pitcher (minimum 150 innings) since Hall of Famer Grover Alexander's 0.84 mark in 1915.

While Alexander's mark was sustained over nearly twice as many innings (376.1 vs. 200), it also came in the heart of the Deadball Era and before integration, making Wheeler's mark more impressive.

Wheeler's historic WHIP was a byproduct of his NL-leading hit rate (6.3 H/9).

His unhittable stuff combined with his stellar command (2.3 BB/9) made it extremely difficult for opponents to reach base against him.

The two-time All-Star's WHIP was even better down the stretch.

Over his final 12 starts (including his playoff appearance), he posted a 0.83 WHIP from Aug. 1 onward, finishing the year strong.

Hopefully Wheeler can pick up where he left off next season, as Philadelphia is counting on him to lead their rotation again in 2025.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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