Phillies Get Gem From Nola When They Needed It Most

The Philadelphia Phillies got a vintage performance from their ace Aaron Nola on Tuesday night as he delivered a gem and played a crucial part in the playoff clinching game.

It felt like playoff baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.

The weather was cold, there were big stakes on the line and they were facing the opposing team's top pitcher.

The Phillies were able to deliver in that environment, winning in dramatic walk-off fashion in the 10th inning to clinch their second consecutive playoff birth.

While it may have felt like playoff baseball, their opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates, won't be like anything they'll face in the postseason.

Still, there's no question that team wanted to spoil a potential clinching night of their intrastate rivals with their own ace on the mound.

Philadelphia countered with putting their own ace on the mound as well

They needed a big performance from Aaron Nola to clinch their playoff spot and the longest-tenured player in the organization delivered a big night.

Nola threw 6 2/3 innings, allowing only one run on four hits, while striking out eight batters.

It was a vintage performance from their ace, something that Philadelphia has been looking for down the stretch.

The game line won't show that he got the win, because reliever Craig Kimbrel gave up a home run in the eighth inning that tied the game 2-2. Still, that performance is a good sign for this team heading into the postseason.

"We’re a really good team. We’re a really good group of guys. We were last year as well. But this year, hope we get there and finish the job," Bryce Harper told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

To do that, they'll need this to be the performances they get from Nola going forward.

He's been a top-end starter in the past. It's time he turns into that again.