The sweet excitement of Phillies fans got a bit soggy on Halloween night. A rainout pushed game 3 of the World Series back to Tuesday. While many fans were left disappointed by the news, the Phillies might have a reason to be happy about it.
Aaron Nola on the cusp of becoming a legend
Not only did Ranger Suarez win his game 3 start, but Aaron Nola will be moved up to pitch game 4.
Game 4 of the series could be absolutely pivotal. The Phillies could take a commanding 3-1 lead or even up the series 2-2.
Aaron Nola was tabbed as the Game 1 starter of the World Series. Things worked out in the end (Thanks JT Realmuto but Aaron Nola did not have his best stuff. He gave up 5 ER in 4.1 IP, allowing 2 home runs. His start against the Padres in the NLCS also ended in a similar fashion, allowing 6 ER in 4.2 IP.
Nola, of course, started the postseason with 12.2 scoreless innings. But that’s who Aaron Nola is. He’ll be a bit of a rollercoaster: An ace in 2 games and a 5-man in the next.
Let’s not forget the type of season Nola had. In 205 innings, Nola had a 3.25 ERA, led the NL in BB/9 (1.3), and led all of baseball in SO/W (8.10). He did things that haven’t been done in a century.
Jim Whitney was the only other player in baseball history to match those numbers.
Clearly, Aaron Nola has the potential to be one of the best starters in all of baseball. It is possible that he’s hitting a wall. Including postseason, Nola has now thrown 226.2 IP in 2022. Before this season, the most he ever thrown was 212.1 IP in 2018.
While surely fatigued, Nola has a chance to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to their first World Series win since 2008. If he can pitch well in game 4, don’t be surprised if he hops up to be a hero in a possible game 7.
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire
