Aaron Nola provokes anger from Phillies fans after nightmare start: "Absolute Bum"
Heading into Game 6 of the NLCS, Phillies starter Aaron Nola had been one of the best pitchers of the playoffs. Now, after some costly early hiccups, Phillies fans seem to have forgotten about that entirely.
A pending free agent, Aaron Nola has been nothing short of dominant for his club. Coming into Game 6 on Monday, Nola had allowed just two runs in over eighteen innings on the bump, giving him an eye-popping 0.96 ERA.
However, the Diamondacks, with their backs against the wall, came ready. Veteran outfielder Tommy Pham led off the second inning with a bomb. Within the same inning, both Lourdes Gurriel and Evan Longoria recorded clutch hits. By the fifth inning, with the D-Backs up 4-1, Nola's day was over.
"Michael Lorenzen is coming in for Aaron Nola" - John Clark
The nightmare start for the 30-year old Nola could not be further from the last time he performed in front of fans at Citizens Bank Park. Aaron Nola pitched six innings of shutout baseball as the Phillies rolled over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 2, winning by a score of 10-0.
Nola's playoff trajectory looks eerily similar to last season, insofar as late-stage mediocrity has overshadowed brilliance of earlier rounds. In the NL Wild Card and NLDS last year, Nola was 2-0 with a perfect ERA. However, the Louisiana-native was hammered by both the Padres and Houston Astros in the NLCS and World Series respectively, giving up fourteen runs in fourteen innings.
A member of the Philadelphia Phillies since 2015, Nola will see his five-year, $56.7 million contract expire at the end of the season. While Aaron Nola himself has said that he hopes to remain in Philadelphia, the current vitriol being directed at him online makes one wonder if fans would want him to return.
Aaron Nola is in danger of his Phillies' legacy being tarnished forever
While every pitcher on earth has bad days, Nola's could not have come at a worse time. After outscoring the D-Backs 15-3 over the first two games of the series, many believed that Nola's side had all but reserved their spot in their second-straight World Series.
Now back in Philly, the Phillies still have a series lead, albeit a thin one. With his future in Philadelphia still unsure, Nola needed to have a good showing. After ostensibly putting a Game 7 in motion, garnering an extension may not be a heroic act for Nola after all.