On Monday night, Aaron Nola was perfect through the first 20 batters he faced in Houston. Everything was working for him; his fastballs went exactly where he wanted them to go, his curveball was unhittable, opposing batters looked at strikes and swung and missed at balls outside.
Simply put, it was Nola’s best start of the year, especially considering the context.
Everybody watching knew what this game meant for the Phillies, who were looking to clinch their first playoff berth in over a decade. Win it and they were in — and Nola’s outing went a long way in winning it for the Phillies.