Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler struck out a career-high 14 batters over seven innings to lead his team to a 4-1 victory against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
The right-handed ace allowed just four hits and one run on 104 pitches during the contest.
Kyle Schwarber provided offensive support by hitting a 3-0 pitch for his 31st home run of the season in his return to his home state of Ohio.
The performance followed Wheeler being left off the All-Star roster for the 96th Midsummer Classic at Citizens Bank Park despite carrying a 2.36 ERA through his first 13 starts.
Wheeler had previously returned on April 25 from a serious thoracic outlet surgery following a blood clot injury sustained in August 2025.
"I kind of had those expectations when I get hurt," said Wheeler. "I'm gonna be the same guy or even better."
The pitcher expressed frustration regarding his omission from the All-Star game due to his regular pitching rotation schedule making him unavailable for the exhibition matchup.
"I felt like that was kind of a reminder," said Wheeler, with a smirk, "for whoever needs to be reminded."
The selection process drew scrutiny as alternate options like Paul Skenes made the initial roster despite having a significantly higher earned run average at the time.
"It pisses me off," said Wheeler. "I feel like I've earned it."
The right-hander elaborated on the systemic scheduling issues that also impacted teammate Cristopher Sánchez during the previous season.
"You figure they would have a clue about it by now," said Wheeler. "All the All-Star Games they've had.
I think it's kind of just the B. S.
rule that, just because you pitch on a certain day, you get punished for it, I guess."
Schwarber, who joined Philadelphia on a five-year, $150 million contract after finishing second in MVP voting to Shohei Ohtani, supported his teammate's perspective after the game.
"When someone deserves it, you want them to get that acknowledgement," said Schwarber. "We're only in this game for so long.
We all want to win the World Series."
