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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 30: Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches in the top the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Citizens Bank Park on June 30, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

In a franchise filled with rich pitching history, Zack Wheeler is quietly making a case as the best to ever wear a Philadelphia Phillies uniform. And with the way 2025 is going, it’s getting harder to ignore.

Wheeler’s latest gem — eight scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks in a 4-0 win over the Padres on Monday — was another showcase of his elite dominance on the hill.

It capped one of the best months by any Phillies pitcher, ever. He finished June with a 0.58 ERA over five starts, becoming just the fourth pitcher in franchise history to post a sub-0.60 ERA in a month with at least 30 innings, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. The only others to do it: Cliff Lee, Tommy Greene, and Lee Meadows — and none did it more recently than 2011.

How Wheeler Stands Apart From Phillies Legends

Manager Rob Thomson noted that it was as dominant a month as he’s seen from any pitcher he’s coached or managed. And that’s in a rotation where Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez have been lights out too. Wheeler just keeps shining brighter.

“I don’t think I’ve had a pitcher that, whether I’m coaching or managing, that has had a month like that,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Maybe I have, but he was pretty much dominant the whole month. … I would think that either him or Ranger [Suárez] would be [NL] Pitcher of the Month, I would think. Just efficient, strike-throwing ability, command, velocity. He had it all.”

Now in his sixth season with Philadelphia, Wheeler owns a lower ERA than Curt Schilling did in his Phillies tenure, per Andrew Salciunas of 97.5 The Fanatic. He’s outlasted the peak years of Halladay and Lee, both of whom were elite but didn’t stay dominant long enough in Philly to match Wheeler’s durability.

Even Cole Hamels, the face of the 2008 title run, doesn’t quite match Wheeler’s sustained level of performance. Hamels has more starts and a higher WAR, but Wheeler edges him in ERA, WHIP, and strikeout rate — and he’s still adding to his resume.

“I’ve seen Curt Schilling, I’ve seen Roy Halladay, I’ve seen Cole Hamels, I’ve seen Cliff Lee, I’ve seen Aaron Nola, and I’ve seen Zack Wheeler,” Salciunas said on Tuesday. “Zack Wheeler is now in his sixth season already with the Phillies. His numbers in his six years, ERA wise, are better than Schilling’s. Six years is more than what Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee did. We saw Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pitch out of their minds; Roy Halladay had a CY Young in this city. But it was for short bursts. Cliff Lee only did it for two seasons. It was two immaculate seasons, but it was just two seasons. Roy Halladay, we saw how quickly he fell off. Cole Hamels was spectacular. But Zack Wheeler is on his own level compared to those pitchers and he’s still doing it, and we haven’t seen it tail off at all. Zack Wheeler, because it’s continuing now six seasons in, is the best pitcher of my lifetime for the Philadelphia Phillies.”

Wheeler’s value isn’t just in the numbers. He leads the rotation with a calm, no-nonsense approach that sets the tone. He finished second in Cy Young voting in 2021 and 2024, and right now he’s putting together another season that looks worthy of the award.

Cy Young Chase In 2025

He’s 8-3 with a 2.27 ERA, ranks among the league leaders in strikeout-to-walk ratio, and has already logged three outings this year with 10+ strikeouts and no walks — tied for the most in baseball.

This year’s All-Star Game is in Atlanta, not too far from Wheeler’s hometown in Smyrna, Georgia. He’s making a strong push to start it, and if he keeps this up, it’ll be tough to deny him.

The velocity is still there, and the command might be better than ever. Plus, he’s doing it at 35, in a league where most arms are fading by now. He credits J.T. Realmuto’s game-calling and just “executing pitches,” but there’s more to it than that. This is sustained, top-tier dominance.

If Wheeler finishes this season the way it’s started — with a Cy Young, an All-Star start, or both — he’ll be identified as much more than just one of the great ace hurlers of this generation. Phillies fans will know him as one of the greatest to ever do it. Period.

Derek Hryn Derek Hryn is a writer for Heavy.com. He has extensive experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball, along with providing expert fantasy football analysis for DraftKings and SB Nation. His work has been featured at Sports Illustrated, USA Today, NBC Sports, The New York Post, and others. More about Derek Hryn