CINCINNATI -- If you wondered if Zack Wheeler pitched with an edge on Tuesday night, he did.
“I felt like that's a reminder,” he said, “for whoever needs to be reminded.”
Wheeler is the Phillies’ ace, a perennial Cy Young contender, an All-Star candidate and a potential future Hall of Famer. He dominated the Reds in a 4-1 victory on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park, moving the Phillies within two games of the Braves in the NL East. He allowed four hits, one run and tied a career-high 14 strikeouts in seven innings. He became the sixth pitcher in franchise history with 14 or more strikeouts and no walks in a game, joining Vince Velasquez (April 14, 2016), Cliff Lee (Sept. 16, 2013), Curt Schilling (Sept. 1, 1997), Terry Mulholland (June 4, 1993) and Jim Bunning (June 7, 1966).
“That was about as good as I’ve seen him,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said.
But Wheeler isn’t a happy man. The Phillies have six players on the NL All-Star team -- Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Cristopher Sánchez, Jhoan Duran, Brandon Marsh and Jesús Luzardo, who was named as an All-Star replacement on Tuesday. Wheeler, who is 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA, is not, in part because he will start Sunday’s series finale in Detroit, which would make him ineligible to throw in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
Sánchez suffered the same fate last season, missing the All-Star Game because he pitched the Sunday before it.
“It [ticks] me off,” Wheeler said. “It’s kind of BS. Maybe if I wasn't necessarily right in there, I wouldn't be saying this, but I feel like I've earned it. … Just because I pitch on a certain day, I can't pitch an All-Star Game, or even be there, or get the recognition for it.”
Wheeler said he would make himself available to pitch in the All-Star Game, even after pitching on Sunday. It’s unclear if the Phillies or the league would allow it, however.
“I feel fine the second and third days [after a start], when I usually throw my bullpen,” Wheeler said. “So I'd be fine throwing an inning, but it's not even an option, I guess.”
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly announced the team’s first five All-Stars during a pregame meeting on Saturday in Kansas City. He revealed Harper, Schwarber, Sánchez, Duran and Marsh, in that order.
“I know I feel like there’s some other guys that should have made it, but we’re only going to get so many,” Mattingly said.
Wheeler was one of the other guys. Mattingly said before Tuesday’s game that he was surprised Wheeler didn’t make it.
“Wheels does not get the attention nationally,” he said. “Even like Harp, right? Harp, you're around long enough and you're good every year, you start to always [say], ‘Oh, who's the next new thing? What's the next new thing happening?’ And those guys get a lot of attention, and they probably deserve it, which is fine. But you start to forget about those guys a little bit, because they're not on the tip of your tongue. They’re not on the tip of MLB Tonight and things like that.
“So I do think those guys get overlooked. And then at the end of their careers, everybody starts to recognize again, like, ‘Man, this guy's had an unbelievable career.’”
Wheeler was unbelievable on Tuesday. He struck out four of his first five batters and five of his first 10 on sweepers. He struck out his final three on splitters. In between, he got strikeouts on his four-seam fastball (four), his sinker (one) and his curveball (one).
“If a guy’s got a weakness, he will get there with different pitches,” Mattingly said. “There’s weapons for all different styles of guys.”
It’s been fun to watch. It’s been remarkable. Wheeler’s season ended last August because of a blood clot near his right shoulder. He had thoracic outlet surgery in September.
Nobody knew how Wheeler would come back from it.
Not only did he come back, but he didn’t miss a beat.
“I had those expectations when I got hurt, I'm going to be the same guy, or even better,” Wheeler said. “I'm going to use this time to get a little bit stronger, maybe just tweak a couple things. Just come back stronger or better, and this is what I’ve been able to do. The credit goes to the coaching staff and the training staff and my family just for helping me get through that mentally and physically.
“It’s been good so far. So hope we can keep riding that wave.”