“The suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts.” So said Willy Wonka (the beloved Gene Wilder version, specifically). Few Phillies fans would have said the same over the past few days. The suspense was indeed terrible (or at least irritating), but in Philly it was a deeply unwelcome houseguest. And so hopes were placed in Aaron Nola. It was only fitting that the longest tenured member of the team would be tasked with ending the team’s division title drought.
The series opener pitted Nola vs. Nate Pearson, two men with the same job, but very different tasks.