Philadelphia Phillies: Zack Wheeler makes history in Philly debut

Zack Wheeler was dominant in his Philadelphia Phillies debut.

While Phil Gosselin may have ended the afternoon as the hero, it was starting pitcher Zack Wheeler who really impressed me the most on Saturday. Making his first career start as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Wheeler put on an absolute masterclass.

Right from the jump, you could tell Wheeler was a different quality of pitcher. Three of his first nine pitches were clocked in at 98 MPH, making him just the second Phillies pitcher to hit that high of a speed since 2019. Vince Velasquez (who is set to make his first start today against Miami), hit 98 MPH just once last year.

Wheeler would continue to gun fastballs in at 97/98 all afternoon long, hitting said speeds even as deep as the seventh inning.

On top of Wheeler’s insane velocity, he also found himself finishing among just a handful of pitchers when it came to quality Phillies debuts. Wheeler became one of just three Phillies in the last decade to pitch seven innings during their Philadelphia debut. Ben Lively did it in 2017 and Cole Irvin did it in 2019. Before that, Roy Halladay did it in 2010.

Anytime you find yourself mentioned in the same breath as the late, great Roy Halladay, you know you’re doing something right.

The sheer impressiveness of Wheeler’s debut start doesn’t end there however. The hard throwing righty managed to get the Marlins to record four double plays, making him the first Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee to record such a feat. Once again, anytime you find yourself on a list next to Cliff Lee, you are most certainly doing something right.

Wheeler went seven innings and gave up just one run during his win on Saturday. He struck out four, allowed just five hits, and only had to throw 87 pitches. He was dominant and concise all afternoon long, and anytime he found himself in a bit of trouble, he managed to work his way out of it via the double play.

The Phillies were coming off a heart wrenching Opening Day loss to the Marlins, and needed someone to lead them to a bounce back win. In the past, the team had nobody else in the rotation they could rely on to guarantee a win. That has all changed with the addition of Wheeler.

Wheeler looked more than worth the $118 million the Phillies paid him this offseason, as he was composed and in control the entire game. He put the Phils in a situation where they could win the ballgame late, and thanks to a little help from Gosselin, they were able to do just that.

The Phillies will stay in Citizens Bank Park to complete their series against Miami, as Vince Velasquez is set to make his 2020 debut against Marlins righty Jose Arena (1:05 PM ET).