"Didn't watch Zack Wheeler pitch","Take that man's voting privileges" - Fans react to runner-up Phillies ace’s shocking 4th-place NL Cy Young vote

Philadelphia Phillies fans weren't happy after their ace Zack Wheeler only received four first-place votes out of the possible 30 votes in NL Cy Young voting. However, what disappointed fans even more was the one fourth-place vote he received, eliciting hilarious reactions.

On Wednesday, MLB released the Cy Young voting results. Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale received 26 first-place votes to win the award in the National League. Wheeler came second, thanks to 25 second-place votes, followed by Paul Skenes, Dylan Cease and Shota Imanaga to round out the top five.

Fans shared their reactions to the post, with Phillies fans posting negative comments for one voter who said Zack Wheeler was the fourth-best pitcher.

"Someone voted Wheeler 4th! Take that mans voting privileges away," one fan commented.

"Who the heck voted Wheeler 4th? 🙄," one fan asked.

"Somebody gave Zach Wheeler a 4th-place vote. How would you even begin to justify this? Must have been laughing hysterically as this person checked-the-box," another added.

"I guess the voters didn’t actually watch wheeler pitch this year," another posted.

"If Zack wheeler never gets his award I will fucking murder someone he can not keep getting fu**ed like this dude I swear," another fan wrote.

One fan felt that Paul Skenes was better than Zack Wheeler:

"Skenes not getting 1 1st place vote is a joke. Also, he was better than Wheeler."

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Zack Wheeler fell just short of winning Cy Young again

In the last four years, Wheeler has been one of the best pitchers in the majors. However, the 2024 season will mark the second time he came up short as runner-up after another Cy Young-caliber season.

Thanks to Chris Sale's pitching Triple Crown season, where he led the NL in wins (18), strikeouts (225) and earned run average (2.38), Wheeler fell out of favor from voters.

Wheeler finished the season 16-7 with a 2.57 ERA. He led the NL in WHIP (0.96), quality starts (26), opponents' batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Interestingly in both his Cy Young runner-up seasons (in 2021 and 2024), Zack Wheeler pitched more innings than the eventual winner. This season, he pitched 23⅓ more than Sale. In 2021, he pitched 46⅓ more innings than Corbin Burnes. However, his innings total hasn't seemed to work out to sway voters in his favor.

Next year, he will be motivated to finally earn the Cy Young award.