Phillies’ Zack Wheeler talks ‘disappointing’ NL Cy Young runner-up finish
Zack Wheeler should have won the National League Cy Young last year.
The idea that someone who not only led MLB in innings pitched, but reached 200 innings faster than any other pitcher could lose to a pitcher who didn’t even come close to 200 innings of work by season’s end feels like a lopsided race from the jump.
And Wheeler agrees. Months after the loss, the Philadelphia Phillies ace finally opened up to MLB.com about his perspective on the situation:
"“Pretty disappointed. It’s kind of a letdown. You know, innings, I guess that was kind of my pathway to it. Innings don’t always matter but, yeah, I threw a lot of innings, good quality innings, I think that was the biggest thing, they were quality innings. Maybe we didn’t make it to the playoffs and people might look at that, but I went out there and threw a lot of innings every game, only a couple I didn’t, and that’s going to happen throughout the year. I’m not taking anything away from Corbin, but I threw another month than he did, and a lot can happen in a month.”"
In 2021, Wheeler posted a career-best 2.78 ERA over 32 starts (matching his career-high from 2014) and led MLB with 213 1/3 innings, three complete games, two shutouts, and 849 batters faced. He led the NL with 247 strikeouts and was also the first pitcher to strike out 200 batters; he missed the MLB leading mark by exactly one K.
Whereas Wheeler averaged 6.66 innings per start, Burnes, backed by the formidable Brewers’ bullpen, averaged 5.96 innings and pitched zero complete games or shutouts. Burnes, who only made 28 starts to Wheeler’s 32, would have needed two more months just to reach the benchmark Wheeler said.
For months, Wheeler was the presumed Cy Young favorite, but a struggle-filled August pushed his ERA higher, which hurt his case. Not so much that it handed Burnes a landslide victory, though. According to MLB, Wheeler vs. Burnes was the closest vote in NL Cy Young history since the ballot expanded from three pitchers to five in 2010.
But his dominance in the face of all the Phillies’ pitching struggles is admirable, especially in comparison to the strength of the Brewers’ pitching staff, which protected Burnes all year long.
And unfortunately, disappointment will continue for Wheeler, who got off to a slow start in his offseason throwing program due to shoulder soreness. It’s unclear, but unlikely that he will be ready for Opening Day.
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