Major League Baseball hands out the Cy Young Award to the best pitchers in both the National League and the American League. After the Phillies clinched their series with the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1, first baseman Bryce Harper sang the praises of their ace pitcher Zack Wheeler, locked in a Cy Young battle with Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale.
In Harper’s view, Zack Wheeler should win the trophy, hands-down, as he claimed to the media after their victory.
“He’s the Cy Young, man. I don’t think anybody in baseball is better than him at this point. People down in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy throwing down there. I think he got robbed of it three years ago and I believe he earned it this year,” Harper said, via a report from Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Cy Young Award: Zack Wheeler vs. Chris Sale
With Tuesday’s victory, the Phillies have climbed to a record of 91-60, holding a five-game lead over the Brewers. Their position on the standings gives them a good chance to earn a top-two seed and the first-round playoff bye that comes with it.
Moreover, with only 11 games left in the 2024 season, the Phillies also enjoy a three-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA gave up a game to the Phillies after losing a slugfest with the Miami Marlins.
The Phillies now hold the top overall seed in the MLB. Currently, they also hold the tiebreaker over the Dodgers.
Meanwhile, their pitcher has lit up the stat sheet with a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP throughout 30 starts, giving him a 16-6 record. If Bryce Harper is right, Zack Wheeler should be leading Chris Sale in the Cy Young race, but statistically, Sale has the upper hand.
Sale has a 17-3 record with a 2.35 ERA and 219 strikeouts, good for number one in the entire National League. For Wheeler to catch up, he should continue his hot streak while Sale has to dip a little bit in the home stretch.
As of Tuesday, Wheeler’s odds are to finish runner-up, which is still not too bad. Additionally, Phillies manager Rob Thomson couldn’t stress further Wheeler’s importance to the team.
“He’s really something man. He’s been so consistent ever since he’s gotten here,” he said. Then he also added, “He just takes the ball and can manhandle people when he wants to.”
The Phillies’ chances
As the postseason nears, the Phillies have as good a chance as the other contenders in the MLB to make a deep playoff run. They hold a 9-2 record versus the Brewers and the Dodgers. Likewise, they have a 23-10 record against the other NL teams in playoff position, with the Padres holding the second-best record at 20-20
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