A 9-1 record this season with a 2.28 ERA. Ninety-eight strikeouts across 14 starts. And, mind you, that’s on top of 11 seasons of elite performance. Yet Zack Wheeler was left off the initial All-Star roster. The league eventually wanted to include him, but only after drawing criticism from much of the baseball community. And if his initial reaction to the whole ordeal was anything to go by, we all saw what was coming…

“I’m not gonna be disrespected,” he said, as posted by Lochlahn March on X.

Even as per Charlotte Varnes from The Athletic, the 36-year-old said that “he did not want to be the fifth choice and felt disrespected.”

And rightfully so, given that Wheeler is having an exceptional season. He is one of the best starters in MLB and has been for more than a decade. In fact, the reason he was left off this year’s All-Star pitching staff is that he is scheduled to start against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. And according to MLB rules, a pitcher is ineligible to appear in the Tuesday exhibition if he starts on the preceding Sunday.

As a result, instead of becoming the seventh Phillies player to represent the club in the All-Star Game on its home field, Wheeler was left off the roster. And many individuals, including his agent, teammate Bryce Harper, and Phillies veterans Milt Thompson and Rubén Amaro Jr., along with countless fans, heavily criticized the rule. They clearly stated that Wheeler deserved it and termed it a “disgrace.” And all of them wanted a solution. 

It finally arrived through Chase Burns. The Cincinnati Reds starter is having a stellar season with an 11-1 record and a 2.54 ERA with 118 Ks. He earned a spot on the All-Star list. But a sudden tightness in his right groin ruled him out of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies. That’s exactly when MLB approached Wheeler. 

“They disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate,” the right-hander made his stance clear to the league. 

Zack Wheeler had earlier argued that he believed his performance had earned him that recognition. And he expected MLB to name him on the list irrespective of whether he could pitch on that day. 

“It pisses me off and, you know, it’s kind of (expletive),” Wheeler had said.

He even placed his 14 strikeouts over 7.0 innings from his last start as a reminder “for whoever needs to be reminded.” 

MLB finally offered him the opportunity many believed he had earned. But Zack Wheeler felt that by then the recognition no longer carried the same value. It would have been his fourth All-Star selection. Instead, he chose to walk away with his head held high and stand by his principles.

“Guys do take a lot of pride in having the All-Star next to your name,” Wheeler said. “During your career and after your career. And people who build them stuff after your career might look at that, too. For somebody to kind of take that away from me, it doesn’t sit the best.”

And while the baseball fans will enjoy the Midsummer Classic without him, the debate around the Sunday pitching rule will surely intensify.