"It's an opportunity that I was waiting for these last 14 months," Nova said. "Somebody told me I would sleep well before, I want to tell him he's a liar. I didn't sleep."
Nova had just thrown 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a win over the Phillies, his first Major League start since April 19, 2014.
On Tuesday night, Nova lay in bed as the clock ticked toward his first big league start after Tommy John surgery. He thought of the family who would call in the morning, both to congratulate and to ask for tickets. He went to bed early, knowing they'd call early.