On Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies made a surprise announcement about their Opening Day plans.
Aaron Nola, who is starting his eleventh MLB season with the Phillies, was set to start against the Atlanta Braves.
Instead, they’re going with Zack Wheeler for the first time.
Nola has six Opening Day starts for the Phillies, which is one of the most in franchise history, so this may not come as a surprise to the veteran.
In a recent interview with MLB.com, Nola shared an unexpected statement on Opening Day.
“I think Wheels [Zack Wheeler] should take it,” Nola went on to say. “I believe he earned it, man. That thing is fantastic, but the baby is on the way. We’ll need to
Wheeler, entering his age-34 season, is two years removed from his All-Star season that saw him finish second in Cy Young voting.
He had a higher ERA last season than he had in a while but has still been performing at a high level for long time.
The Phillies just recently signed Wheeler to a record three-year extension worth $126 million that is actually the largest annual salary for any contract in history.
Now, making him the ace, makes a lot of sense for someone being paid that much.
He’s been fantastic in both the regular season and in the postseason.
Over his first four seasons with the Phillies, Wheeler has started 101 games with a 43-25 record and 3.06 ERA. In 11 postseason games, Wheeler has produced a 2.42 ERA and 68 strikeouts.
It’s clear that he earned that contract and has indeed earned the Opening Day nod.
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