NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DIAMONDBACKS VS PHILLIES

October 16, 2023

Aaron Nola

Citizens Bank Park

Philadelphia Phillies

Pregame 1 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with Aaron Nola.

Q. I know you don't want to get into specific details on this, but obviously your contract is up at the end of the season. Without going too deep into it, is it your desire to remain in Philly beyond this season?

AARON NOLA: Yeah, I hope so. I really do. I love it here. Obviously it's the only place I've been. I came up through some special times in the rebuilding era ask and getting to witness and be a part of a lot of different type of teams.

To be on a team like I am now, it's really cool and special to see and to be a part of all the success and failures to get to where we are now.

Q. Why had you been hesitant earlier in your career to use the slide step that you've been using over the last month?

AARON NOLA: Well, I used it in 2016. After 2015 I incorporated it kind of in my regular delivery, so it kind of messed my mechanics up a little bit. I tried to be too quick to the plate and ended up kind of hurting myself, hurting my arm.

In 2017 that next year after I rehabbed, I just kind of went to a traditional slide step every now and again. After that year, I just told myself I was going to focus on holding runners on and cut out the slide step. Because I felt like I could get better at holding the ball a lot, picking over, working on my pick-off move, and just kind of messing up their timing and keeping them close to first base.

I feel like once the pitch clock came, it made things a little more challenging because those years I really did rely on holding the ball a lot and picking over a lot. So obviously guys are stealing and bases are bigger. And I knew I could incorporate what I used to do back in 2017. I just had to do it and get comfortable with it again.

So I feel like over -- oh, gosh, I don't know how long I've been doing it. Maybe since the All-Star break. Maybe a little after the All-Star break. It's more comfortable. The most important thing is being able to repeat the slide step while making a good pitch and focusing on making a good pitch.

Q. Just how important do you think the running game is going to be in this series?

AARON NOLA: Very important. D-backs can run. They have a lot of fast guys. I know that. We all know that. They like to steal bags. They like to bunt. They like to put pressure on the pitcher.

Q. You talked about the tough times here your first few years with the Phillies. What do you remember about when they signed Bryce Harper and what that signified, and also, what your impressions were of him as a teammate that you couldn't have known about as an opponent?

AARON NOLA: Obviously I knew who Bryce Harper was. Played against him for a few years. Pitched against him. Very good player, right? MVP. And to know that he wanted to come to Philadelphia to bring back a championship one day was awesome because we were in a big rebuilding phase. To get that guy here, we knew that we were on a track to now rebuild to get over that hump again.

Obviously we made a couple other big signs with J.T. a couple of years after that. I mean, where we've come since then is pretty amazing. Like I said, it's been really cool to be a part of. I feel like not many players really get to go through the rebuilding phase all the way until like the team we are now.

It makes me appreciate it a lot.

Q. What about your impressions of him now versus as an opponent?

AARON NOLA: Oh, man, playing with Bryce, it kind of amazes me all the time. I remember the first -- I think it was the first week up here in 2019. He kind of like struggled his first few games, and then one game -- I could be wrong, but it looked like he did three different batting stances and went 3 for 4 with two homers. I'm like this guy is pretty special, man. He can do a lot of things different ways, and obviously loves the big moment. He is a superstar. He thrives in those moments.

So it's cool to see his everyday go-abouts, like what he is doing now or what he has done in moving to first base and coming back early from Tommy John. But aside of that, the coolest thing that I see from him all the time is how he plays the game, how hard he plays the game, and how much he hustles.

You see the guy hit a single through the hole, stretching to a double all the time. And sometimes you're, like, no, no, no, don't go, and then he always makes it. I love that part about him. He plays the game so hard, and that's why he is so good.

Q. Aaron, going back to last year NLDS and NLCS and World Series, and the DS this year, all start on the road and you split, came home 1-1. That's kind of seen as an advantage. Does it feel weird starting a series at home, and is there a pressure to start 2-0 because you know what kind of momentum they can get if you go back to Arizona 1-1?

AARON NOLA: I guess it really doesn't feel super weird. It's great that we get to start the series off at home. Obviously we all love playing here this time of year, and our fan base is immaculate right now.

I mean, the more home field advantage you get, the better. Wheels is going to go out and compete tonight and give us a chance to win like he always does and try to start this series off on a good note. We know that D-backs are hot right now and they're a good team. No matter where we are here, there, it's going to be a dogfight. We're ready for it.

Q. When you started your career, this team wasn't very good. A lot of lean years. Was there a time where you were, like, I don't want to be here, I want to go somewhere where I think I can win and this place isn't it?

AARON NOLA: No, I never really had that. I mean, I signed my contract going into 2019, so obviously I wanted to be here. I love the organization and all the staff and the players. Obviously each year better players came through, better guys coming through, forming new relationships, so obviously I love that part about it.

Q. I want to examine the word pressure. It came up before. Bryce kind of waived it off. Rob Thomson did as well. This might be the first time in the two years that you are the overwhelming favorites, for whatever that's worth. Do you feel it a little bit that, hey, we've got to finish this deal off this round, next round? What's that like in there?

AARON NOLA: Not really. I haven't heard one guy talk about something like that. I feel like we don't really think of it as pressure, right? Each game is so big and matters so much. That's kind of what we focus on is one game at a time. We'll do that tonight.

Everything is so heightened in the playoffs obviously, right, so I feel like being in the moment and in this moment kind of takes over, and everything else you kind of put aside.

Q. We've heard Bryce talk about dealing with the pressure and the moment and all that. He says I was in big games when I was 10 or whatever. Where do you think it came from for you to be a guy who is somewhat emotionless on the mound and to kind of keep everything in check and to not sort of wear your heart on your sleeve?

AARON NOLA: I feel like I've always been kind of like that. And my brother is like that, so I always wanted to be like my brother. I never really showed emotion just because he never shows emotion.

I feel like it's worked for me, and it's helped me out to never get too high and never get too low. But I feel like LSU kind of prepared me a little bit for that. We had some big crowds for college baseball and being in the postseason over there three times and getting to Omaha for us was a big deal.

I feel like that helped a little bit, just playing in front of big crowds. And then coming over here obviously, and then last year was obviously different, right, but it makes it fun. I mean, the more fans, the better. It makes it that much more fun, especially when you go through a 2020 season where you have no fans. It's just different.

So I think that part of the game, it's fun, and you like being on that stage. It's what we train for and prepare our minds for because you have to go back and think about what you have done and what makes you good and what you've had success with. For myself, if I stay in that moment and believe that and believe I can get through things, certain situations, it can happen.

Q. When you guys eliminate the Marlins, you leave the press conference, and moments later your wife drops that you guys are expecting a child on Instagram. How has that added to everything you're going through this year, and how much are you I guess looking forward to that?

AARON NOLA: Yeah, definitely looking forward to it. It's exciting. Like every guy on the team has got kids. We're the lone survivors out there. No, but we're definitely excited to welcome a new one into our family. I don't know. It's a good time, I feel like, because I see so many kids running around the clubhouse and guys and their sons and daughters. It's pretty cool to see. It's definitely a blessing to welcome one in soon.