Well, the controversy around Zack Wheeler’s foot position on the mound on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays seems far from over. While the game witnessed heated moments and the ejection of the Blue Jays’ hitting coach, the war of words continued after the game. Blue Jays manager John Schneider tried to cool down the situation by giving Wheeler credit. But the Phillies pitcher chose to drop the mic by taking a direct dig at the Jays, as he believes nobody had ever questioned his delivery before and that Toronto may have been looking for something to complain about.

“I’ve been pitching over there forever, and I’m going to keep doing it. You know, they’ve lost a lot of games over there, so they’re probably trying to pick some things up to complain about,” NBC Sports Philadelphia quoted Wheeler after the game.

Well, it is not the first time that Wheeler’s foot motion caught all the eyes. He has set up on the extreme first-base side of the rubber for his entire 12-year major league career. He employs a distinct “shimmy pause” in his initial drive phase to stabilize his back leg. This is the exact movement rival teams are monitoring for rule compliance. However, despite the scrutiny, Wheeler has stated he has no intention of changing his foot position or setup.

“Not until this year. I’ve always been over there. I’ve always done the same thing. Like I said, I pitched one TV game and I guess a couple of guys at MLB were watching it, and now they decided to try to say something.”

Well, he made it clear that the complaint is new, but his pitching setup is not. He has pitched this way for years, and MLB only started questioning it this season after officials noticed his foot position during a televised game. So, is that really the case? Are there no rules? Well, the rulebook begs to differ.

MLB rules require a pitcher’s pivot foot to remain in contact with the rubber during the delivery. Toronto questioned whether Wheeler was violating that rule and asked umpires to monitor his motion. Wheeler, however, made it clear after the game that he has no plans to change his approach.

“I saw them talking after the first or second … and then (Tumpane) told me to make sure I stay on the rubber,” Wheeler added. “I saw them talk again after (the third) inning, so when I went out there (in the fourth) I was getting my hand checked and (Tumpane) was there, so I was like, ‘Hey, I would appreciate it if you don’t see anything, just don’t say anything.”

It was Popkins from the Blue Jays dugout who was seen most vocal against Wheeler. That continued even after his ejection. Both Popkins and Zack Wheeler were seen throwing slurs at each other before Schneider entered the field to cool off the situation.

And, yes, this kind of delivery controversy has come up before, in 2017 with Carter Capps.

MLB clarified Rule 5.07 after Carter Capps drew attention for a delivery in which he appeared to hop off the rubber before throwing the pitch. The main question was whether he was taking an extra step or resetting his back foot during the motion. MLB made it clear that pitchers are not allowed to do that.

The Padres argued that Capps’ delivery was still legal because he was dragging his back foot down the mound instead of planting it again and pushing off a second time. Manager Andy Green said the problem is not simply when a pitcher’s foot leaves the rubber. The real issue is whether the pitcher replants the foot, changes its position, or uses another push.

That is what makes Wheeler’s situation worth watching; despite all the chaos, Wheeler has made sure that he is keeping his pitching stance the same in the upcoming games. That suggests the controversy would continue hereon. The Phillies should ideally keep their arm detached from the noise.

The Phillies need Wheeler for the postseason

Philadelphia is currently ranked second in the NL East with a 62-55 record. And if they could get into the playoffs, Zack Wheeler would be one of their best weapons. He is enjoying a highly dominant 2026 season with the Phillies, showcasing elite form despite missing Opening Day following offseason thoracic outlet decompression surgery.

Currently, Wheeler is standing with a 2.69 ERA and a 10-3 record. This suggests that changes to his overall mechanics have naturally dropped his arm slot. This shift has generated more movement on his pitches than at any point since Statcast tracking began in 2017. Even against the Blue Jays, Wheeler struck out six batters over 5.1 innings.

Thus, Wheeler getting into controversy and losing his momentum could prove costly for the Phillies. While he stood by his stance about not changing his pitching motion, it would be better for the Phillies to review and amend it if required. This would help the team to keep Wheeler away from unwarranted chaos.