PHILADELPHIA -- Plenty has changed for Zack Wheeler over the past couple of weeks following the recent birth of his fourth child.
One thing that hasn't changed: He's still one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.
Wheeler issued the latest reminder in Sunday afternoon's 11-4 win over the Blue Jays that finished off a Phillies sweep at Citizens Bank Park. Pitching on Father's Day, less than two weeks after he and his wife, Dominique, welcomed their newest child on June 2, Wheeler struck out nine over six innings while allowing just one earned run (two total).
Another thing that hasn't changed amid a whirlwind month for Wheeler is that he remains focused on baseball when he's at the park and his family when he's not -- and he has little time for distractions.
Asked earlier in the week if pitching on Father's Day took on a little extra meaning this year, Wheeler's answer was simple -- and unsurprising.
"Honestly," he said, "I didn't even know it was Father's Day on Sunday."
Given the newborn at home, Wheeler gets a pass for not having glanced at a calendar. That doesn't mean these moments aren't special for the Phillies' family-oriented ace, who's watched his family grow from just him and his wife to a family of six during his time in Philadelphia.
“You definitely have the kids in the back of your mind,” Wheeler said of taking the mound on Father’s Day. “So you just try to pitch well for them, and make them happy and let them enjoy it, too."
Their first child was born just days before Wheeler made his Phillies debut during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Their second was born just a couple of weeks before Father's Day in '22. Their third came along last February, just days after Wheeler agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract extension that goes through 2027.
"It's pretty cool," Wheeler said. "Going from kind of just being by myself, to having my wife, to having a family of four kids, it's pretty cool."
Wheeler's outing might have been even better if not for a tough-luck fifth inning. A bloop single, a batter taking an extra base on a throw to third and a missed pick play that probably should have been made by new first baseman Otto Kemp led to two runs (one earned).
Wheeler responded with a 1-2-3 sixth inning and appeared poised to return for the seventh before his teammates provided a little too much run support on a day when the Phillies matched season highs in both runs (11) and hits (18).
Kemp went 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs as he continued the impressive start to his MLB career. Alec Bohm added a couple hits of his own, including a towering two-run homer in the fifth. But it was the sixth when the Phillies really blew the game open.
Nick Castellanos, who also welcomed his third child last month, provided the biggest at-bat of the frame when he hit his second grand slam of the season.
“It’s awesome to be able to say I hit a grand slam on Father’s Day,” Castellanos said. “That’s something I’ll be able to remember for the rest of my life.”
By the time the final out of the sixth was made, the Phils had a 10-2 lead -- and it had been more than 20 minutes since Wheeler had thrown his last pitch.
So instead, Wheeler's next pitch will come on Friday when Philadelphia returns home to host the first-place Mets. There's nobody the Phils would rather have on the mound as they look to gain some ground in their pursuit of a second straight NL East title -- though both Wheeler and the team have loftier goals.
Wheeler has always said it's a yearly goal of his to win a Cy Young Award because, as he puts it, if that happens, it means he's pitching well enough to contribute to the ultimate team goal of winning a World Series.
Wheeler's chances to earn that elusive Cy Young have, like his family, only grown during his time in Philadelphia. After not receiving any Cy Young consideration in his five seasons with the Mets, he promptly earned some down-ballot votes in his debut season in 2020. Wheeler then finished as the NL Cy Young runner-up in 2021, sixth in '23 and runner-up in '24.
At 7-2 with a 2.76 ERA, 110 strikeouts and a 0.89 WHIP, Wheeler again finds himself in the thick of the NL Cy Young race, alongside Pirates ace Paul Skenes.
“It’s very important,” Wheeler said. “Two things every pitcher wants to do are win a Cy Young, personally, and also win a World Series. That’s why we play -- to win a World Series.”