Phillies' Zack Wheeler Won't Miss Birth of 1st Child If MLB Plays Isolated Games

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler knows exactly where he will be if Major League Baseball is playing games when his wife, Dominique, goes into labor with the couple's first child. 

Speaking to NBC 10 (h/t NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark), Wheeler said he won't miss the birth of his first child even if the MLB season has started:

"I am not going to miss the birth of my first child. I don't care. I'm going to be there for her and the birth of my child. That's a fact. I think anybody would do the same thing. Any dad. Whether I have to come back here (Atlanta) and be with her and miss two more weeks because I have to quarantine to play again, so be it."

Clark noted Dominique is expected to give birth in 3.5 months. 

Wheeler's comments come in the wake of ESPN's Jeff Passan reporting Tuesday that MLB and the players are exploring a plan that could lead to the season starting as soon as May. 

The plan dictates all 30 teams play in empty stadiums around the Phoenix area, where a number of spring training facilities and the Arizona Diamondbacks' home stadium are located. It would require players, coaches and other essential team personnel to live in "relative isolation" with travel allowed only to and from the stadium.

MLB issued a statement in response to Passan's report, noting it is "actively considering numerous contingency plans," but "we have not settled on that option or developed a detailed plan" at this point. 

The 2020 MLB regular season was set to begin on March 26 but has been postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Wheeler signed a five-year, $118 million contract with the Phillies during the offseason. The Georgia native spent the past seven seasons with the New York Mets. He set career highs with 195.1 innings and 195 strikeouts in 2019.