It took Aaron Nola parts of 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, but he’s now an NL East Champion.
Nola was dominant across the first six innings of Monday’s clinching victory over the Chicago Cubs, before running into trouble in the seventh and exiting with the bases loaded and no one out. Matt Strahm escaped the jam only allowing one more of Nola’s runners to score. The righty finished the night with seven strikeouts and two runs allowed over 6+ innings. Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez finished out a 6-2 win.
Once again, Nola turned in a strong performance in a clinching game for the Phillies.
“He’s a big-game pitcher,” manager Rob Thomson said after the game. “Wheeler gave it to us last night, and we just didn’t score any runs. Nola is the same way. … Nola is a big-game guy. He steps up when the lights are brightest.”
Nola signed back with the Phillies for seven years and $172 million after testing free agency last offseason. He reflected on finally winning a division title after his 267th start in red pinstripes.
“Yeah, it’s rewarding for sure,” Nola said. “I’ve always wanted to win a division since I came here. Obviously seen the Braves win the past several years and they’ve done it on our field a couple times. Always said to myself it would be nice to seal the division.
“But obviously that’s why I signed back here,” Nola added. “I love it over here. I love this team of guys. And like I said, we’ve been here, been with each other for a few years, and I think that helps a lot too. Everybody is pulling on the same rope and nobody’s selfish in there.”
If you need a reminder of how long Nola has been on the Phillies, his MLB debut came on July 21, 2015. Four days later, Cole Hamels threw a no-hitter in what proved to be his final start with the Phillies.
Hamels is considered one of the inner-circle starters in franchise history. But as Dave Uram of KYW Newsradio pointed out, Nola is now in sole possession for the most wins at Citizens Bank Park with 57, passing Hamels.
“Well it’s a great career,” Thomson said of Nola. “Cole Hamels is a heck of a pitcher. So for someone to pass him, it just tells you how important Nols is to this organization and this ball club right now.”
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