The Philadelphia Phillies have named Zack Wheeler as their Opening Day starting pitcher. Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced the decision on Sunday. This will end the six consecutive Opening Day start streak that Aaron Nola had. As a result, Wheeler becomes the first Phillies pitcher other than Nola since Jeremy Hellickson in 2017 to start on Opening Day. To put in perspective how long it has been since they had someone other than Nola as the Opening Day starter, none of the players in the starting lineup in that 2017 game are still on the team seven years later. Wheeler now becomes the 64th different pitcher to make an Opening Day start for the Phillies since 1901. Steve Carlton has the most such starts among those 64 pitchers with 14. Nola ranks third in Opening Day starts for Phillies pitchers.
Rob Thomson announces Zack Wheeler will be the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2024 Opening Day starter. ? pic.twitter.com/mjuPycsx2t
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Phillies Name Zack Wheeler Opening Day Starter
Wheeler will get the nod as the Phillies host the Atlanta Braves on March 28 to start the season. This will be the first time Wheeler has started an Opening Day game, including his time with the New York Mets. Entering his fifth season with the Phils, Wheeler has a 43-25 record along with a 3.06 ERA and 675 strikeouts in 101 starts with the team. Wheeler also has a 137 ERA+ with the Phillies and was named to the All-Star team in 2021. That season saw Wheeler finish second in NL Cy Young Award voting and 19th in NL MVP voting.
Last season in 32 outings, Wheeler had a 13-6 record along with a 3.61 ERA and 212 strikeouts. He also had a 119 ERA+ last season. For the first time in his career, Wheeler won a Gold Glove Award in 2023. This came as Wheeler also finished sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting as well. The rest of the starting rotation order for the opening series is to be determined.
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