May 30: Wheeling and Dealing

The Main Event

• May 30, 1990 – Pitcher Zack Wheeler is born in Smyrna, GA

Zack Wheeler’s path to becoming one of baseball’s best starting pitchers was anything but smooth. Featuring two organizations, a career-threatening injury, and a long-awaited arrival in October baseball, the story of Wheeler is ultimately one of perseverance and quiet excellence.

A Georgia Arm Turns Heads

Wheeler grew up in the Atlanta area and attended East Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia, where he played for the East Cobb Astros, a well-known summer ball program that had produced dozens of professionals. Giants area scout Tim O’Connor was an early believer. By the time O’Connor came around for East Paulding’s practices and preseason games in Wheeler’s senior year in 2009, Wheeler had quit basketball, hit the gym, and gained about 15 pounds of muscle along with at least 5 mph on a fastball that reached the mid-90s. O’Connor was immediately impressed.

As a senior at East Paulding, Wheeler went 9-0 with a 0.54 ERA, which included a no-hitter in the first round of the Georgia state playoffs and a two-hit complete game in the quarterfinals in which he struck out 15. Scouts noted a prototypical pitching frame and excellent arm speed to go with a power fastball that topped out at 96 mph, pairing with a slurve that ran between 74-78 mph. The one knock on him at the time was a changeup that scouts felt needed development, but his raw stuff was undeniable. Because of his great makeup and incredibly high ceiling, Wheeler was considered arguably the top high school pitcher in a very pitching-heavy 2009 draft class.

The Giants Draft Him; The Mets Get Him

The San Francisco Giants selected Wheeler sixth overall in the 2009 MLB Draft, and he elected to sign with the team rather than honor his previous college baseball commitment to Kennesaw State. He signed for $3.3 million, which still stands as the largest bonus San Francisco has ever paid an amateur pitcher — saying something for an organization that also drafted Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Madison Bumgarner in the first round.

Wheeler spent two seasons in the Giants system before he was acquired by the Mets from San Francisco for Carlos Beltran in July 2011. He immediately became the Mets’ top prospect. Wheeler led all Mets minor leaguers with 148 strikeouts in 2012 and was named the eighth-best prospect in baseball by MLB.com before earning his big league call-up. Wheeler made his MLB debut on June 18, 2013, going six shutout innings against Atlanta and quickly establishing himself as a legitimate front-of-the-rotation arm.

The Tommy John Detour

Just as Wheeler appeared ready to anchor a dynamic Mets rotation alongside Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz, his trajectory was interrupted. In spring training of 2015, Wheeler was diagnosed with a fully torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and underwent Tommy John surgery, costing him the entire season. The recovery stretched well into 2016, and he did not pitch in the majors again until 2017, when he had more arm problems and struggled to a 5.21 ERA across 17 starts.

The road back was slow. In 2018, Wheeler finally began to resemble the pitcher who arrived with so much hype, posting a 3.31 ERA over 182⅓ innings in 29 starts — his best season in the majors to that point. He followed it with a career-high 195 strikeouts in 2019, setting up a pivotal moment in free agency.

In August of 2025, Wheeler was again shut down with an injury. This time, the injury was not just career threatening, but potentially fatal. A clot was found in Wheeler’s shoulder and was caused by pinched nerves and arteries. The condition – known as thoracic outlet syndrome – required surgery to fix. Wheeler missed the rest of the season and opened the 2026 season on the IL before returning to the mound.

The Phillies Come Calling — and Don’t Let Go

After reportedly reaching out to the Mets and hearing nothing in return, Wheeler signed a five-year, $118 million free agent contract with the NL East rival Phillies prior to the 2020 season. It quickly proved to be one of the best signings in recent Phillies history. Wheeler ranked third behind Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg on the free-agent pitching depth chart that winter; Cole signed for $324 million and Strasburg for $245 million, making Wheeler’s deal at an average annual value of $23.6 million a remarkable bargain in hindsight.

In Philadelphia, Wheeler became a different pitcher. He credits a mechanical adjustment — changing his arm path following Tommy John surgery — as a key factor in his growth, though it took years to fully take hold. The results speak for themselves. Since joining the Phillies, Wheeler has led all pitchers in WAR and has been among the sport’s leaders in innings pitched. He narrowly missed winning the 2021 NL Cy Young Award, he earned a Gold Glove in 2023, made three All-Star teams, and across the Phillies’ postseason runs in 2022 and 2023, compiled a 2.42 ERA over 63⅓ innings with a WHIP of just 0.73 — becoming the October pitcher he always wanted to be. He is currently signed through 2027 on a three-year, $126 million extension, ensuring he remains in red pinstripes for the foreseeable future.

Philadelphia Baseball Events for May 30

• May 30, 1903 – Bill Keister hit a deep fly ball to center field against Brooklyn, then raced home for an apparent inside-the-park home run. He was called out for missing second base, though, and credited with a single and an RBI for plating the runner on first. Keister was tossed from the game following a heated argument over the call.
• May 30, 1922 – In the 10th inning of the first game of a double-header with New York, Butch Henline hits a ball into the left field bleachers with two on to win the game. He stops at second, however, and is only credited with a double. The Phillies gave up a total of 43 hits to the Giants in the two games, including a 16-7 game two loss.
• May 30, 1931 – Chuck Klein hits home runs off the same pitcher (the Braves’ Ben Cantwell) in both games of a double-header, In the second game, the Phillies tied a league record with 21 infield assists.
• May 30, 1935 – Babe Ruth makes his last major league appearance. He plays only the first inning of the opener of a doubleheader between the Boston Braves and Philadelphia Phillies at the Baker Bowl. Phillies pitcher Jim Bivin retires Ruth on an infield grounder in the Babe’s final major league at-bat.
• May 30, 1965 – Purchased the contract of pitcher Lew Burdette from the Chicago Cubs. Burdette was well past his prime and made nine starts and 10 relief appearances with the Phillies, going 3-3, 5.48 over the rest of the season.
• May 30, 1978 – Mike Schmidt stole three bases – all of them off of starter Bert Blyleven – as the Phillies beat the Pirates 6-1 at the Vet.
• May 30, 1993 – The Phils connect for six homers on the way to an 18-1 win over the Rockies at Mile High Stadium. Darren Daulton goes deep twice, and is joined by Tommy Greene, Mariano Duncan, Dave Hollins, and Kim Batiste. They scored all of their runs in only four innings: the fifth through eighth.
• May 30, 2001 – Johnny Estrada ties a team record by hitting into three double plays in a 6-3 win over the Mets.
• May 30, 2007 – Jamie Moyer loses to Arizona’s Randy Johnson, but is part of setting a new record for oldest left-handed starters. Moyer and Johnson’s combined ages were 88 years, 90 days.
• May 30, 2009 – Ryan Howard hits two home runs, including a grand slam into the third deck at Citizens Bank Park, in a 9-6 Phillies win over Washington. The slam was the eighth of his career, tying Mike Schmidt’s team record for most career slams by a Phillie.

ICYMI

• Philly Baseball News – Roster Churn: Kemp to LV; Steward Berroa Takes His Turn in Philly
• Philly Baseball News – Analysis: The Ceilings and Floors for a New CBA

Philadelphia Baseball Birthdays for May 30

• Wally Kimmick (born 1897) – Born in Turtle Creek, PA, Kimmick, an infielder, played for the Phillies in 1925 and 1926. In 90 games he slashed .290/.381/.373/.754 for the Phils.
• Hugh Willingham (born 1906) – Used primarily as a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner, Willingham played 28 of his 31 MLB games with the Phillies from 1931-1933. He hit .237 with Philadelphia. He played in three games with the White Sox in 1930.
• Scott Eyre (born 1972) – Eyre played 13 seasons in the majors, his last two (2008-2009) being with the Phillies. He was acquired from the Cubs for Brian Schlitter in August of 1980.

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