In nearly a century of All-Star Games, only six Phillies pitchers have ever started for the National League: Robin Roberts (five times, beginning in 1950), Curt Simmons (1952 and 1957), Steve Carlton (1979), Terry Mulholland (1993), Curt Schilling (1999), and Roy Halladay (2011).
That’s the entire list. And now, with elite numbers and unwavering consistency, Wheeler has a chance to join them.
The first to do it was Roberts. It was the summer of 1950, and the Whiz Kids were about to capture the imagination of Philadelphia. Just 23 years old, Roberts stepped onto the mound at Comiskey Park and faced a stacked American League lineup that included Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, George Kell, and Yogi Berra. He calmly tossed three scoreless innings, scattering three hits and striking out Larry Doby. It was a performance that set the tone for his Hall of Fame career, and it marked the first time a Phillies pitcher introduced himself to the nation on that kind of stage.
Nearly three decades later, it was Carlton’s turn. A three-time Cy Young winner by 1979, Lefty finally got the nod to start an All-Star Game. Pitching in Seattle’s Kingdome, he gave up a solo homer to Fred Lynn but otherwise looked sharp, recording a pair of strikeouts and a walk in two innings of work. Carlton was selected to 10 All-Star Games in total—seven with the Phillies—but it was in ’79 that he finally stood atop the mound to open the night.
Twenty years later, it was Schilling’s show in front of a frenzied crowd at Fenway Park. Starting the 1999 All-Star Game for the National League, he struck out three future Hall of Famers—Ken Griffey Jr., Roberto Alomar, and Kenny Lofton—during two innings of action. He also gave up two runs, but the performance reflected everything that defined Schilling’s career in Philly: overpowering stuff, big-game presence, and a flair for the moment, even when the team around him wasn’t contending.
In 2011, Halladay started the All-Star Game for a Phillies club in the midst of one of the most dominant regular seasons in franchise history. True to form, he worked two perfect innings on just 19 pitches, getting ground balls, throwing strikes, and setting the tone with surgical precision. No flash, no drama—just Doc doing what Doc always did.
Since arriving in Philadelphia in 2020, Wheeler has quietly become one of the best pitchers in baseball. He’s top five in ERA and WAR this season, and no National League pitcher has thrown more innings over the past three years. He’s done it with power, precision, and the kind of consistency that makes managers sleep well the night before a start.
This year’s All-Star Game will be played just outside Wheeler’s hometown in Georgia. And if he’s chosen to start, it’ll be more than a personal milestone. It’ll be a continuation of one of the great, and underappreciated, Philadelphia baseball traditions: elite pitching on baseball’s biggest summer stage.
The Phillies’ history of All-Star starting pitchers is a short but distinguished list. Roberts. Simmons. Carlton. Schilling. Mulholland. Halladay. Each stood at the center of the baseball universe, if only for a couple of innings, and represented the city with poise and power.
Wheeler’s moment could be next.
