Aaron Nola Carves Out a Place in Phillies History with Milestone Start

Aaron Nola made his 200th career big league start on Saturday, becoming just the tenth pitcher to make 200 starts in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Sep 18, 2022 7:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

Aaron Nola’s outing on Saturday evening against the Atlanta Braves didn’t seem like a particularly special affair. The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher was solid, but unremarkable. He went seven innings, giving up four runs and striking out eight.

Yet as it turns out, it was actually quite a significant moment for the 29-year-old right-hander. When Nola took the mound at Truist Park, he was starting his 200th career game as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Only nine other starters in Phillies history have reached that milestone, and they make for a pretty impressive group.

Steve Carlton (499 career starts)
Robin Roberts (472)
Chris Short (301)
Cole Hamels (294)
Grover Alexander (280)
Curt Simmons (263)
Curt Schilling (226)
Larry Christenson (220)
Jim Bunning (208)
Aaron Nola (200)

Of those pitchers, only two did not play for a pennant-winning Phillies team: Jim Bunning and Chris Short. Well, and Nola, although he still has plenty of time.

Similarly, only three are not on the Wall of Fame: Larry Christenson, Cole Hamels, and Nola. Hamels, of course, will make the Wall in due time.

Nola ranks eighth among the group in ERA, but sixth in ERA+, which is adjusted for ballpark effects and league average.

He ranks seventh in strikeouts, but he is first in strikeout rate by a mile. His 10.1 K/9 dwarfs Cole Hamels’ 8.6 K/9. His 4.20 K/BB is also much higher than that of the second-place Hamels.

Barring an injury, Nola should reach seventh on Philadelphia’s all-time starts list by the end of his current contact. And if he sticks around a few more years, he should be able to move further up. If he does sign a contract extension with Philadelphia, it’s reasonable to expect he could reach third place.

The first two spots, however, held by Steve Carlton (499) and Robin Roberts (472), are likely out of reach.

However long he remains with the team, Nola has already carved himself a place in franchise history. He has reached a milestone that few others have reached in the past 140 years. Hopefully this won’t be the last Phillies milestone he hits either.