When Ranger Suarez secured the final out of the NLCS against the San Diego Padres, every single Philadelphia Phillies player celebrated on the field in jubilation. But for Phillies manager Rob Thomson, he was already looking ahead to planning for the World Series.
Thomson announced on Wednesday that Aaron Nola will take the mound for the Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series against the Houston Astros. According to Nola, Thomson decided on this matter immediately after the Phillies punched their ticket to the World Series.
“Normal Rob Thomson,” Nola said. “He actually just told me right when we stormed the field after Ranger got that last out. We hugged each other and he told me then. So not too long of a story.”
Nola last faced the Astros on Oct. 3 when the Phillies picked up a 3-0 road win to officially clinch a spot in the postseason as a wild-card team. The right-hander orchestrated one of the best pitching showings of his career, as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and recorded nine strikeouts against one of the more potent lineups in all of baseball.
As Nola is set to once again face the Astros at Minute Maid Park, he is unsure as to just which side will have the edge this time around.
“I guess I'll find out,” Nola said. “But it's nice to be able to pitch on this mound for the first time the last time we were here, just to kind of get a feel for it and know how it holds up. So I think that's an advantage to that part.
“It's a different stage of the last time we played here. It's a good team that we're playing against, and we are too, so I think we'll see tomorrow and we'll see this series.”
In the big picture, Nola well recognizes that the Astros boast quite a well-rounded lineup.
“It's a good lineup,” Nola said. “They do a lot of things well. They hit for average, hit for power. They're scrappy. But I think for me I just have to make pitches to them and keep the ball on the ground.”
The Phillies are aiming to open up a series with a 1-0 lead for the fourth time in the ongoing postseason.
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