Aaron Nola Applauds Phillies' Depth Ahead of First Postseason Start: "We Had Young Guys Step Up"

After eight years in the big leagues, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola will make his first postseason start on Saturday.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Oct 7, 2022 4:00 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

Few players on the Philadelphia Phillies knew more about the postseason drought than Aaron Nola. The right-hander made his big league debut in 2015, and he stood by as the team missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons.

Finally, in 2022, things clicked into place for the Phillies, and Nola will make his first career postseason start on Saturday. He thinks he knows why everything worked out differently this time around.

Philadelphia lost several veteran contributors to the injured list this summer (including Jean Segura, Bryce Harper, and Zach Eflin), which Nola described as "a big blow" to the team. In other seasons, the Phillies might have collapsed after so many injuries, but this year, they persevered.

Aaron Nola answers questions ahead of the NLWCS.
Photo by Kade Kistner

"We had young guys step up and that was huge for us," Nola explained. "We got a lot of depth on the bench for our whole team this year." The starting pitcher praised the young players who took on the unenviable task for replacing established veterans, and who did so with aplomb.

He identified the success of those young players – the so-called "Phillies Daycare" – as one of the keys to the Phillies' success this season. "To me, we got more depth than we have in the past," he said. "I think that's what's helped us get to this point now."