Zack Wheeler’s delivery comes under scrutiny from the Blue Jays as Phillies lose a rain-delayed 5-4 series opener
Wheeler, who threw 116 pitches and walked five batters, was irritated by the Blue Jays in the fourth inning when they contended that his right foot was coming off the rubber.
Chase Utley, famous for his pregame routine and laser-focused preparation, was just getting warmed up. So, he led with an apology.
“Zack,” he said. “Sorry, dude. I’ll pick this up.”
Out in the bullpen, Zack Wheeler kept on throwing. Rain shortened his last start to two innings and delayed this one by two hours. Normalcy was gone long before Utley gave his Phillies Wall of Fame speech Friday night.
Besides, things only got stranger once the game finally started. The Blue Jays accused Wheeler of taking his right foot off the rubber, leading to the ejection of their hitting coach and a two-word obscenity from Wheeler in the fourth inning of a 5-4 Phillies loss that went down to the final batter after the clock struck midnight.
» READ MORE: Trea Turner isn’t moving off shortstop (yet). The Phillies’ goal for now: Help him get better.
“I’ve been pitching over there [on the first-base side of the rubber] forever, and I’m going to keep doing it, you know?” Wheeler said. “They’ve lost a lot of games over there, so they’re probably trying to pick some things up to complain about.”
Zing!
OK, let’s get this out of the way: The Phillies drew 10 walks — 10! — and lost after leaving the bases loaded twice in the last three innings. They had the tying run on third base — and reliever Tyler Rogers on the ropes — in the ninth after Luis Arraez’s 10-pitch walk. But Alec Bohm hit a first-pitch grounder for a force out at home before Brandon Marsh was thrown out by a half-step on a grounder to end the game.
The Phillies finished 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11. Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper struck out in succession with two runners on base in the fifth inning.
“Yeah, just got to be better,” Harper said after the Phillies (62-55) slipped back into a tie for the final National League wild card. “I ain’t got much for you. It’s got to be better in those situations and get those guys in.”
Hey, it happens. Unlike, say, a team asking the home plate umpire to watch for a pitcher taking his foot off the rubber during his delivery.
But MLB contacted the Phillies a few weeks ago, interim manager Don Mattingly said, after Wheeler started a nationally televised Sunday night game on NBC. A camera angle appeared to show that Wheeler’s right foot disengaged from the rubber.
» READ MORE: Luis Arraez’s biggest strength made him a logical cleanup hitter for Don Mattingly. And it’s worked.
The Phillies disagreed and provided an overhead view that shows Wheeler’s foot does, in fact, stay on the rubber, albeit at the edge. Wheeler said his delivery has been the same for years. To his knowledge, nobody ever complained.
“Not until this year,” he said.
Or, more specifically, Friday night.
Early in the game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider asked plate umpire John Tumpane between innings to look for the placement of Wheeler’s foot. Tumpane, in turn, spoke with Wheeler.
“John told me to make sure I stay on the rubber,” Wheeler said. “He kind of just said that MLB has me on a list.”
The Blue Jays pressed the issue again in the fourth inning, with Tumpane ejecting hitting coach David Popkins, who drew the ire of Wheeler.
“We were just getting information that his foot was off the rubber on the first base side, from video angles with that little step back from the windup,” Schneider said. “It’s hard to see in real time, but there was just an example of our hitting coach kind of protecting the players and me doing the same.”
It was all part of a bizarre start for Wheeler, who walked five batters, more than in any start since April 7, 2019, and threw 116 pitches, his highest total since May 6, 2021.
The Blue Jays led, 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2, and knocked out Wheeler with one out in the sixth inning after losing a 15-pitch duel with Nathan Lukes, who singled to load the bases. Lefty reliever Tim Mayza gave up a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
“He did that to me last year,” Wheeler said of Lukes. “When we played there, he had a really long at-bat also. I figured I’d have one of those tonight with him. It just happened to be the last one. I was just trying to throw everything at him, but he put a good at-bat together.”
Wheeler threw only 32 pitches last Sunday in Baltimore before a rain delay forced him from the game. Surely, though, there was a toll from throwing more pitches than he had in five years.
“Tired,” Wheeler said. “I’m not going to lie, you know? It was hot and humid, and the air was just still. I still had juice in me there at the end, but, yeah, I was a little tired.”
Trailing, 5-2, in the ninth inning, the Phillies loaded the bases against Rogers on back-to-back walks and a catcher’s interference call that enabled Schwarber to reach. Bryson Stott scored from third when Turner hit into a fielder’s choice, and Harper punched an RBI single through the right side to cut the margin to 5-4.
Arraez’s drawn-out walk reloaded the bases, and Rogers had thrown 31 pitches when Bohm swung at a first-pitch sinker.
“I like it if he gets a hit and gets the ball in the air,” Mattingly said. “Obviously he’s not trying to hit a ground ball there. What you’re trying to do [is] you’re trying to get [Rogers] up a little bit. Obviously, we didn’t do that.”
Matt Klentak's fingerprints are still on the Phillies' roster six years after he was the team's general manager. These days, Klentak is part of the front office for the Brewers, who recently clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title. With the Brewers coming to town Tuesday, Klentak joined Phillies Extra to discuss his current and former teams. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Jeff Francoeur | Luke Murton | Mike Hazen | Tony Gwynn Jr. | Kevin Stocker | Bobby Dickerson | Jim Bowden | John Middleton | Ryan Howard | Dan Baker
