Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola had a phenomenal track record in clinching games entering Sunday’s series finale vs. the Kansas City Royals at Citizens Bank Park.
The veteran right-hander earned the win in 2022 when the Phillies clinched their first postseason berth in 11 years, and he was the starter when they did it again the following year. Last season, Nola earned the win when Philadelphia clinched its first division title since 2011.
That’s why it was surprising that Nola allowed six runs over six innings as the Phillies failed to clinch the NL East with a 10-3 loss to Kansas City. Philadelphia’s magic number remains at one.
Nola’s dominance in clinchers ends
According to Phillies baseball communications, Nola was 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA in seven previous games when Philadelphia could either clinch a postseason berth, division title or postseason series.
And Nola looked the part through four innings, but he allowed a two-run homer in the fifth and four more runs in the sixth to put the Phillies in a 6-2 hole. The 32-year-old veteran is having the worst season of his 11-year MLB career, holding a 6.44 ERA over 15 starts.
Nola missed significant time from mid-May to mid-August with a right ankle sprain and has made six starts since returning from the 60-day injured list on Aug. 17. Likely the only right-hander in their postseason rotation, his recent struggles don't bode well for Philadelphia.
“You’ve got to take into account his track record, no doubt about it,” manager Rob Thomson said when asked how much that matters when prepping for postseason decisions, per MLB.com’s Paul Casella. “But I do want to see him throw the ball consistently like he did in the first four innings today.”
The Phillies (89-61) have another chance to clinch the NL East on Monday with a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at 10:10 p.m. ET.