"Big honor": Zack Wheeler reacts on being announced as Phillies' starter for 2025 Opening Day

Zack Wheeler acknowledged being selected as the Phillies starter for the 2025 Opening Day game. He called the opportunity a ‘big honor’ and reflected on what it meant to him. The manager, Rob Thomson, and teammate, Aaron Nola, also expressed pleasure over Wheeler’s selection for the coveted role and praised his pitching skills wholeheartedly.

The Phillies’ lineup for the 2025 Opening Day is out. Manager Rob Thompson gave a nod to Zack Wheeler’s appearance as the Phillies’ starter, which was certainly not a surprise to anyone. The 10th-ranker postseason for ERA expressed gratitude for the opportunity when asked what kind of honor it was to be picked as the starter. He said:
“It’s a big honor, you know; it doesn’t matter what it is, who it is, you know.” He further said, “You take pride in it, you know, it means you had a good year the year before, and you know, I think anybody would take pride in it.”

Commenting further on his starting the 2025 Opening Day, he shared, “It’s a lot of fun to get the season going, and uh, you want to get out there and get that first.”

Reactions came pouring from the teammates and the manager, who held high regard for the pitching genius that Zack Wheeler is.
Calling him a ‘stud,’ the teammate Aaron Nola, another All-Star RHP from the Phillies’ side, opened up about Wheeler starting the 2025 Opening Day game. He said:
“He’s a stud, man.” Continuing to praise the pitcher with the golden arm, Wheeler, Aaron said, “His track record shows it. I’ll say it again, I think he’s the best in the league.”
Aaron Nola stood firm in the stand he took last year while talking to NBC’s John Clark the previous year. In March 2024, he pinpointed Wheeler’s ‘remarkable’ performance as a pitcher and appreciated the move of selecting him as the starter.

While talking to MLB.com after a crushing 4-2 Grapefruit League victory on the Blue Jays, the Phillies’ manager, Rob Thomson, had significantly appreciating words to say about Wheeler. He praised the outstanding pitcher, saying:
“He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball.” He elaborated, “It’s the combination of power and command -- pitchability. That’s why he’s so great.”
Zack Wheeler was named Cy Young finalist last year. He reportedly started 32 games with 200.0 innings pitched and scored 224 strikeouts, making 2024 one of the best years of his career.
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