Starting pitcher Aaron Nola and Team Red, White, & Blue (RWB) members hosted the Aaron Nola Charity Poker Tournament on Thursday night. The event comes one day after the Phillies’ 31-year-old pitcher was honored by the MLBPA for his charitable efforts. It was a rare opportunity for Philadelphia area sports fans to play cards with their favorite baseball players while generating funds for a worthy cause.
Some attendees enjoyed an exclusive cocktail hour featuring a red carpet entrance for Phillies players and their families (or guests), a chance to take a selfie with President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, or mingle with principal owner Jon Middleton before the event began around 6 PM EST. Of course, the Phillie Phanatic couldn’t resist his time shining on the red carpet as he posed for the camera flashes and delighted the room with behavior that could only come from the Galapagos Islands.
Inside the CP Rankin Club, which is housed under sections 122-125 at Citizens Bank Park, Nola spoke to the crowd seated at their poker tables before the card-chucking action began. “First of all, I appreciate everybody coming here once again,” Nola told the crowd. “We are so grateful to be able to have an event like this again. We switched it up from bowling, obviously, to poker. We thought this would be a good hit. We’re grateful to Mike Irwin and Team Red, White, and Blue. We love the organization. We met them years ago, and really love what they do.”
Team RWB is a non-profit organization that “focuses on enriching veterans’ lives and forging America’s leading health and wellness community for veterans and service members.” Nola has raised nearly $400,000 for Team RWB over the last two seasons. The Phillies righty collected 197 strikeouts over 56 starts in 2023 and 2024. He donated $1,000 to Team RWB for each MLB batter he sent back to the dugout with a “K” (or a backward “K” for strikeout looking) on the scorecard.
Nola & Team Red, White, Blue
Aaron Nola and his family have partnered with Team RWB for several seasons. “We had an uncle (who) served, my dad’s oldest brother,” Nola said. “So, that means something to us.” The 31-year-old said his family feels “very blessed” to have a platform to “talk about the organization and every good thing they do.”
The last order of business before the poker cards were shuffled and dealt was a two-item live auction. The first item was a 1-of-1 painting of Aaron Nola that the Phillies starter autographed before the bidding began. The exclusive item delivered $2,500 to Team RWB. The second item was a handful of tickets to the owner’s suite for a Phillies game. The Middleton family donated one of the best views in the ballpark, which sold for north of $10,000 to benefit the non-profit organization.
It’s back to the baseball diamond for Nola and his teammates on Friday night as the Phillies open up a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’ll be fascinating to see if the good vibes from Thursday night’s charity event flow onto the baseball field this weekend.
Photo Credit: Chris Babos
