Nola family set precedent for bros facing off in playoffs
PHILADELPHIA — Only the Nolas know the way the Kelces may really feel on Super Bowl Sunday.
Before Eagles heart Jason Kelce and Chiefs tight finish Travis Kelce turn out to be the primary brothers to play one another in Super Bowl historical past on Feb. 12, Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola and Padres catcher Austin Nola turned the primary brothers to face one another as pitcher and batter in MLB postseason historical past. Austin gained the battle in Game 2 of the 2022 National League Championship Series at Petco Park, sparking a five-run rally within the fifth inning with an enormous hit in opposition to his little brother in a Padres victory. Aaron’s Phillies gained the battle, nevertheless, taking the collection in 5 video games.
Their dad and mom, A.J. and Stacie Nola, grinded by means of each pitch, like Ed and Donna Kelce may grind by means of each play on the Super Bowl.
“The more we think about it, man, that was a pretty cool experience,” A.J. Nola mentioned not too long ago at his sons’ Strike Out ALS occasion in Baton Rouge, La.
But was it enjoyable within the second?
“No, no, no,” A.J. mentioned, shaking his head. “What it meant to each city, I was feeling that pressure for Aaron and the Phillies, and I was feeling that pressure for Austin and the Padres. What it meant to each of these cities … it pressured me, man.”
Austin grounded out in his first plate look in opposition to Aaron in Game 2, however stroked an 0-2 pitch to right-center subject in his second plate look to attain a run and reduce the Phillies’ result in one. The Padres scored 5 runs within the fifth to take a 7-4 lead.
TV cameras had been fastened on A.J. and Stacie all through the sport. After Austin’s ballpark-rattling hit, the cameras caught A.J. standing there, stoically.
A lady in entrance of him had circled. She tried to get a response from him.
“We got acquainted with the lady in front of us,” A.J. mentioned. “She would stand on her chair, and she kept falling back and we kept grabbing her. She found out who we were. She asked me, ‘What are you going to do?’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t know. I don’t know how to react.’ I said, ‘I tell you, I’m not going to high-five you if something good happens, or if something bad happens.’ Of course, in the fifth inning … I laugh when I think about it now. My reaction was all over the news. Now I just laugh about it.”
Four days later, Austin flied out to Nick Castellanos in proper subject at Citizens Bank Park for the ultimate out in Game 5, sending the Phillies to the World Series.
“We celebrated on the field with Aaron,” A.J. mentioned. “Then about 30 minutes later, we went and cried with Austin. Stacie, she said it just hurts to know that one of these guys has to go home. That’s the kind of feelings that we had.”
“It was a lot of hoopla,” Austin mentioned. “It was insane. I didn’t think it was going to be like that. But, shoot, we lost, so I try to put it out of my mind. I try to forget about it, think about the good stuff that happened previously and what might happen this season.”
Aaron struck out Austin throughout an everyday season sport in 2021. He gifted Austin the baseball that Christmas.
Did the NLCS come up this Christmas?
“We didn’t talk about it too much,” Aaron mentioned. “It’s a sore subject.”
“It’s a sore subject on a personal level for him, but on a team level for me,” Austin mentioned.
“He got the team, I got the personal,” Austin mentioned.
“That hit hurt me,” Aaron mentioned.
“It definitely jacked up his ERA,” Austin mentioned.
Twenty years from now, 30 years from now, the brothers will be capable to sit again and replicate on a historic baseball second. In the top, they mentioned, it was enjoyable.
The Nolas bought collectively once more this offseason for Aaron’s marriage ceremony. At the reception, the DJ performed “Dancing On My Own,” which was the Phillies’ postseason theme tune. It performed after victories within the clubhouse and over Citizens Bank Park’s sound system.
“Yeah, I made sure I wasn’t in there when they played it,” Austin mentioned.
“He doesn’t like that song,” Aaron mentioned. “That’s a sore subject.”
“That song sucks,” Austin mentioned.
