Aaron Nola will start Opening Day against Rangers

Aaron Nola will start Opening Day for the Phillies against the Texas Rangers, the team announced Friday.

He’ll be facing Jacob deGrom, who is entering year one of a five-year, $185 million contract with Texas. The Phillies are excited to have the former Mets pitcher out of the NL East, but it’s a bit ironic that he’s the first pitcher they will face when the regular season opens.

It marks the sixth consecutive year Nola will start the first game of the season for the Phillies. Steve Carlton (10) and Robin Roberts (12) are the only other Phillies pitchers to start at least six consecutive Opening Days for the team.

Nola is entering his ninth season with the Phillies. 2022 may have been his best year to date. Across 205 innings in the regular season, Nola posted a 3.25 ERA and 2.58 FIP while striking out 235 and walking only 29 batters. He finished fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting. Including postseason, nobody threw more innings in 2022 than Nola.

He’s established himself as one of the sport’s most durable and talented pitchers over the last half decade. He leads the league in total innings since 2018 and is third in strikeouts.

It’s possible that this could be Nola’s last Opening Day start as a Phillie. He’ll become a free agent at the end of 2023 barring an agreement on a contract extension. Opening Day is the deadline Nola set for the two sides to finalize a deal.

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