Aaron Nola

At 30 years old, Aaron Nola has this physical status:

Aaron Michael Nola (nicknamed "Nols"; born June 4, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Nola played college baseball at Louisiana State University (LSU).

He was drafted by the Phillies in the first round, seventh overall pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.

Nola made his major league debut in 2015.

He was a 2018 National League All Star, and came in third in the voting for the 2018 NL Cy Young Award.

Early life

Nola was born on June 4, 1993, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of A.J. and Stacie Nola. His maternal grandfather, Richard Barrios, served as sergeant at arms for the Louisiana House of Representatives. Although Nola started playing baseball at the age of nine, his passion for the sport only began when he watched his older brother Austin Nola play in tournaments. As a child, Nola used to mimick a pitching motion while watching himself in the mirror, a gesture that his father described as "strange gyrations".

Nola's father served as his Little League Baseball coach until high school, when he began playing for Catholic High School in Baton Rouge. Stress fractures in his back, which doctors attributed to a six-inch summer growth spurt, hampered Nola's freshman season. Nola spent three seasons on the varsity team, including two state playoff appearances. He missed one month of his junior season with a hernia, but returned in the playoffs to pitch Catholic to the state finals. In his senior year, the Louisiana Sports Writers Association named Nola "Mr. Baseball", given to the top player in the state. Across his varsity baseball career, Nola posted a 21–2 win–loss record and 214 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched.

Personal life

Nola is of Italian descent on his father's side; his great-grandparents emigrated to Baton Rouge from Sicily. His brother Austin currently catches for the San Diego Padres. Their uncle suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and in January 2020, the Nola brothers hosted a "Strike Out ALS" charity event on his behalf.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nola partnered with Pennsylvania brewing company Yuengling to launch "Cheers PA", an initiative to provide aid for restaurant and bar workers impacted by shutdowns. He and catcher J. T. Realmuto also serve as the Phillies ambassadors for Garth Brooks' "Home Plate Project", which raises money to fight childhood hunger in the US and Canada. The Phillies nominated Nola for the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award for his charity work.

Nola was exposed to COVID-19 in 2021, missing a start as a result.

Nola is an evangelical Christian. His walk-up song is "I am Second" by Christian rock band Newsboys.

Source

College career

Both Aaron and Austin Nola were drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 2011 MLB Draft. Aaron chose not to sign with the Blue Jays but instead attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where his brother was a freshman. Nola was a LSU sports Management major and was roommates with Alex Bregman. Nola surrendered five runs in the first inning of his Southeastern Conference (SEC) debut against Mississippi State after throwing 78 pitches in a 5–0 shutout game against Tulane. He bounced back and posted five shutout innings, a bounce that stunned LSU pitching coach Alan Dunn, who said that the revival "gave us a glimpse of how good Aaron can be." Head coach Paul Mainieri "made a promise that [Nola] would be a starter on the weekend," a position that would see him mostly in conference games.

In 89+2/3 innings, Nola's rookie season ended with a 7-4 record and a 3.61 earned run average (ERA) in 89+223 runs, as well as with seven walks and 89 strikeouts. In the first game of the best-of-three 2012 Baton Rouge Super Regional, he was the starting pitcher in the first game of the best-of-three tournaments. It will be LSU's first game against the Stony Brook Seawolves in the NCAA tournament. He appeared in spring baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he had a 2–0 record and 0.82 ERA in 11 innings.

In his second season with LSU, Nola was an excellent swimmer. He threw his first shutout complete game against Alabama on April 19, becoming the first LSU pitcher to shut down an SEC team since Kevin Gausman in 2011. Nola beat Florida on May 3 for the first complete game victories since Mike Sirotka in 1993, and the first two shutouts in a season since Greg Smith in 2005. In 126 innings pitched, Nola went 12–1 for a 1.57 ERA in 2012. In addition, he had a 0.82 walks per inning pitched (WHIP) test. He was also elected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), Baseball America, and Collegiate Baseball All-American teams, and was named SEC Pitcher of the Year. Nola was a finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award in 2012 and was the recipient of the James Corbett Award, which is given to the best amateur athlete in Louisiana.

The NCBWA named Nola and Bregman first-team preseason All-Americans prior to the 2014 season. He compiled an 11.47 ERA, 27 walks, 134 strikeouts, and a.172 opponent batting average in 116+13 innings in 2011. He was named again in the SEC Player of the Year award and was the recipient of the 2014 National Pitcher of the Year award. He was also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the best amateur baseball player in the United States, and the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given to the year's best national college baseball player. Nola had a three-year career at LSU with a 2.09 ERA in 332 innings, with 42 walks and 345 strikeouts. He is third in LSU's history for strikeouts, fourth for ERA, and fifth for pitching victories.

Professional career

In the first round, Nola was selected overall, the Philadelphia Phillies' seventh pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. On June 10, 2014, he signed a $3.3 million signing bonus and was drafted with the Clearwater Threshers, the Phillies' Class A-Advanced minor league affiliate. Nola's first five appearances with the Threshers saw him post a 3.80 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 21+1-23 innings pitched. Clearwater's Clearwater records set a new high on the year, with a 3.16 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 31+13 innings pitched. He was then promoted to the Double-A Reading Phillies, making his debut against the Harrisburg Senators on August 6, 2014. In five innings for the Phillies, he threw 72 pitches, including 47 runs, who won 9–2. With a 2–0 record and 2.63 ERA in 24 innings pitched, Nola closed out the season in Reading.

Nola started the 2015 season with Reading, going 7–3 in 12 starts with a 1.88 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. On June 14, 2015, he was promoted to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In a 3–0 victory over the Buffalo Bisons on June 18, Nola threw five shutout innings in his debut on June 18, no. In six starts with the IronPigs, Nola went 3–1 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. He was chosen for the 2015 MLB All-Star Futures Game but did not pitch. His last game before being called up to the majors was his worst professional debut, giving up six runs in three innings to the Rochester Red Wings.

Nola made his major league debut on July 21, 2015, becoming the first Phillies pitcher to debut the season after being drafted since 1989, Pat Combs. He wore No. 2 on his shirt. Coach Larry Bowa used his college jersey number 10 for the Phillies on 27th, as his college jersey number ten was used by him. In the first inning of the 1–0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, he threw his first major league strikeout to Steven Souza Jr. That one run was a solo home run and for first time in his career, according to opposing pitcher Nathan Karns' debut. In the Phillies' July 25, 11–5 victory over the Chicago Cubs, he won his first game less than a week later, pitching 7+2/3 innings and earning a run batted in (RBI). Nola had a 6–2 record and 3.59 ERA in 13 starts and 77+2 3 innings pitched during the season. The Phillies pulled Nola down on September 27, following a decision made in July that ended his season after pitching approximately 185 innings between the majors and minors.

Nola was called to the Philadelphia Phillies' 2016 Opening Day roster on April 2, 2016. Despite a 5–4 record and 2.65 ERA in his first 12 starts, he soon faltered, averaging of 8.82 percent in eight starts between June 11 and July 28, and took a two-week break in July to concentrate on his physical and mental health. With a right elbow strain, the Phillies reported on August 3 that Nola would go on the 15-day disabled list. Nola had been hospitalized with "low-grade" sprains and elbow strains in his elbow, and he would not pitch again for the remainder of the season. In 20 starts, he pitched 111 innings, a record and 4.78 ERA.

Nola said he "100 percent" going into 2017 spring training, and he was accepted to the 25-man roster on April 2. In 18 of his 27-season starts, he made a good return to the game, with two runs or fewer in 18 of his 27 runs. Nola defeated Curt Schilling's 1996 record for most strikeouts by a Phillies pitcher with fewer than 30 starts in one season. He was temporarily placed on the disabled list in April with a lower back strain. He had a 12-11 record, 3.54 ERA, and 184 strikeouts in 27 starts and 168 innings.

In 2018, Nola was selected as the Phillies' starting pitcher on Opening Day. Manager Gabe Kapler's decision to ban Nola from the field after only 68 pitches was controversial, considering that the relief pitchers gave up eight runs to the Atlanta Braves. In seven innings against the San Francisco Giants, Nola struck out a career-high 12 batters. He was selected to the 2018 National League All Star team after an 11-2 record and 2.41 ERA in his first 18 starts of the season. In 33 starts and 221+13 innings, Nola finished the season with a 17–6 record and 2.37 ERA. He was the second Phillie to strike out over 200 batters and keep his opponents to a batting average of.200 or lower in a single season, behind Alexander, Schilling, and Jim Bunning. In honor of the 2018 National League Cy Young Award, Nola came in third, behind Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets and Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals.

Nola also agreed to a four-year, $45 million contract extension with the Phillies, which included a $2 million signing bonus, during the offseason. In the team's 10–4 victory over the Braves, he was named as the starting pitcher on the team once more. In 34 starts and 221+1 innings, he set a 12-7 record for the season, pitching to a 3.87 ERA and 229 strikeouts in 34 starts and 229.3 innings.

After quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, Nola arrived late to the Phillies' 2020 spring training. In a 5–2 loss against the Miami Marlins, he earned his third straight Opening Day appearance in 2020, beginning in his third straight appearance. In 2020, he played his first two complete games with the Phillies, both of whom were limited to seven innings due to a rule that barred doubleheaders. Joe Girardi's 1000th managerial victory was his offspring against the Nationals on August 26. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he had a 5–5 record and a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts and 721-plus innings. The Phillies were obstructing the Phillies from wild card contention in the postseason after Nola's 5–0 loss to the Rays at the end of the regular season.

In 2021, Nola was selected to pitching in a third year in a row since Steve Carlton opened ten seasons in a row between 1977 and 1986. Nola beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2–0 on April 18, 2021, his first complete game shutout in the MLB. Nola's 1,000th strikeout was recorded less than two months later on June 1, less than two months later. He was the fastest Phillies pitcher to reach that number in 913 innings, and Cole Hamels and Steve Carlton were the only Phillies pitchers to score 1,000 or more strikeouts before the age of 28. In a game against the Mets on June 25, Nola struck out ten batters in a game for the first time in a game, tying Tom Seaver's record for the most consecutive strikeouts in a game.

He had the lowest LOB percentage in the majors among pitchers in the 2021 season, at 66.8%. Nola had a 9-09 record, pitching to a 4.63 ERA and 223 strikeouts in 32 starts and 180+223 innings in 2021.

Nola was up for his fifth straight opening day appearance pitching 6 innings over the Oakland Athletics after suffering from Zack Wheeler's injury, who had ostensibly supplemented Nola as the team's ace. Nola played a complete game on August 13, but lost in a pitcher's duel with Jacob deGrom 1–0. Nola won the playoffs over the Houston Astros by 6+23 innings on October 3, 2022.

Nola ended the 2022 season with an 11-13 record and 235 strikeouts in 32 starts and 205 innings. In the strikeout-to-walk ratio, Nola leads the Majors. In Game 2 of the 2022 National League Wild Card Series, the Phillies defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by 6+2/3 shutout innings. Nola opened Game 3 of the 2022 National League Division Series on October 14, the first Phillies home playoff game in ten years. Over six innings, he allowed one unearned run and five hits. Nola started Game 2 of the 2022 National League Championship Series, as well as the San Diego Padres. Aaron and Austin Nola became the first pair of brothers to face each other in Major League Baseball postseason history as pitcher and batter during the game.

Source