Zack Wheeler Just Delivered a GIANT Middle Finger To Major League Baseball After Declining Their Pity Invite To The All Star Game

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It was announced today that Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez will be the starting pitcher for the National League in Tuesday night's All Star Game. But Zack Wheeler, the stud right behind him in the Phillies pitching rotation, will NOT be throwing on Tuesday night. Hell, he won't even be on the roster. 

And that's because Zack Wheeler essentially told MLB to go fuck themselves. He doesn't wanna be on the damn roster. 

As always, Wheeler has been a tank this year. He's 10-1 in 15 starts with an ERA of 2.13, which is the lowest he's ever had in his career as it stands. The issue, however, is that he missed the first month of the season because he was recovering from thoracic outlet surgery. And apparently, that hiatus was enough to get him snubbed from the Midsummer Classic. Fucking ridiculous. 

Wheeler wasn't on the original All Star roster that was announced last weekend, so he came out in his first start after the snub and put on an absolute gem of a performance. This past Tuesday against the Reds, he went seven full innings, allowing just four hits and one lone run while registering 14 strikeouts. He was off his rocker. 

But the best part about his performance was what he said afterwards to the press: "That's a reminder for whoever needs to be reminded." The guy is just nails. 

And his teammates ran with the quote by putting it on t-shirts for them to wear. I gotta get me one of those. 

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What made this whole situation even more badass was the fact that Wheeler did wind up getting a late invite to be an All Star replacement (which is where we circle back to Wheels telling MLB to go fuck themselves). 

Like a total baller, he declined that invite for the sole reason that he felt disrespected by the entire voting process. If they really wanted him to be an All Star, then he should've been an All Star to begin with. He doesn't want a horseshit pity invite just DAYS before the actual game. 

Now, people might have a problem with this because the All Star Game is in Philadelphia, and he's denying the home fans a chance to root on one of their favorite players. But I personally couldn't care less, and I doubt that Philly fans give a shit either. It's about respect. Aside from championships, that's the #1 thing we crave. And if you're gonna disrespect one of our beloved guys, then we're gonna back him no matter what. 

Besides, it seems like this story has given Wheels a MASSIVE chip on his shoulder. He pitched again today and outdueled Tarik Skubal, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out 10 against the Tigers. It's his third straight start with 10 K's or more. The dude has been unbelievable. 

It's safe to say that Major League Baseball just awoke a monster. Zack Wheeler has been unleashed, and if I was on an opposing team, I'd be scared SHITLESS to face him in the back half of this season.