For more than a decade, Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler has been one of baseball’s most dominant arms. On Tuesday, Wheeler cemented his place among MLB’s all-time great pitchers when he recorded his 2,000th career strikeout against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Wheeler was dealing on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The veteran pitcher struck out the side in the first inning, sealing his 2,000th career strikeout on a high fastball to Brice Turang. Wheeler became the 96th pitcher in MLB history and the 10th active pitcher to reach the mark.
The milestone comes just a month after former teammate Jacob deGrom tallied his 2,000th strikeout for the Texas Rangers. Wheeler and deGrom played together for five seasons with the New York Mets between 2014 and 2019. Just a few weeks before deGrom, Wheeler’s Phillies teammate Aaron Nola also racked up his 2,000th punchout against the Toronto Blue Jays. Sonny Gray and Kevin Gausman also hit the illustrious plateau earlier this year.
Wheeler’s start against the Brewers was not just notable for his 2,000th strikeout. He also set a new Phillies franchise record by starting the game with seven consecutive strikeouts. Wheeler did not allow his first hit until the top of the fourth inning.
Over 12 seasons and through 309 starts, Wheeler has certainly made the case for a Hall of Fame career. He has accumulated a 126-80 record, with a career 3.26 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. Wheeler is a three-time National League All-Star, has won a Gold Glove Award, and has been runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award on two occasions.
After his performance on Tuesday night, Wheeler will be in 94th place on the all-time MLB strikeouts list. Justin Verlander is the current active leader with 3,554 strikeouts. Verlander announced on Tuesday that he will be making the final start of his illustrious career on Saturday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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