Aaron Nola Talks Home-Field Advantage, Phillies Growth At Local Charity Event
Aaron Nola hosted his Philadelphia Phillies teammates for “Bowling for the Troops” at Brooklyn Bowl in Fishtown on Monday evening. Proceeds from the charity event benefitted Team Red, White &…
Aaron Nola hosted his Philadelphia Phillies teammates for “Bowling for the Troops” at Brooklyn Bowl in Fishtown on Monday evening.
Proceeds from the charity event benefitted Team Red, White & Blue. Yuengling was the title sponsor for the event, while Coca-Cola was the presenting sponsor.
Nola commented about his growth in the city of Philadelphia and the Phillies organization, his experience playing at Citizens Bank Park during the 2022 MLB Postseason, and the effort he’s given to support Team RWB as a brand ambassador for Yuengling.
Aaron Nola Talks Phillies Career
Philadelphia finally turned back into a baseball town in October 2022 when the Phillies reached the MLB Postseason for the first time since 2011.
Tim Kurkjian boldly pointed out on The John Kincade Show in October about how the home-field advantage at Citizens Bank Park broke the norm that visiting players speak about when they write off the idea of a crowd as a potential distraction.
Nola echoed the same sentiment.
“It was the loudest place we went to in the playoffs. I’m not just saying that because it’s our home field, but it was, and it was fun…We’re hoping we can get back again, but it’s definitely an advantage." -Aaron Nola
The longest tenured member of the Phillies has seen the ups and downs of the organization since they drafted him in 2014.
He has risen from a young pitching prospect out of Louisiana to grow into an integral role in one of the most demanding markets in professional sports.
After finally tasting the postseason, he spoke to the significance of the organization getting over the hump with an emotional run to the World Series last fall.
“I come up in 2015. We’re kind of in a rebuilding phase. We’re stretching our way to that point up until last year and getting to the playoffs for the first time in my career. I really appreciate it a lot more, and I'm blessed to go through it the way I went through it from a rebuilding point to where we’re at now. I really appreciate it a lot more. I’m glad it happened that way.” -Aaron Nola
Phillies, Yuengling Support Team RWB
The turnout on a Phillies off-day speaks to the commitment of the organization to supporting the veteran community.
Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm, Josh Harrison, Craig Kimbrel, Trea Turner, Brandon Marsh, Bailey Falter, Bryson Stott, Andrew Vasquez, and Dalton Guthrie all participated in the charity bowling games in Fishtown on Monday.
John Middleton, Dave Dombrowski, and Rob Thomson also attended the event.
“For us, it’s coming together with the Phillies and raising money for a great cause. We’ve been associated with Team Red, White & Blue since 2018, and they do tremendous work supporting American veterans, so we’re excited to be out for that,” said Wendy Yuengling, Chief Administrative Officer and sixth-generation family member.
She spoke with appreciation for the incredible turnout and the work of Aaron Nola. The former seventh-overall pick has supported the family-owned company and their charitable efforts since 2019.
“A few years ago, we got involved with supporting the work they do for veterans, and then we decided to put it on pack and help raise even more money to support their efforts. The Lager camo cans will be out at retail now for the summer, and it’s part of our bigger Stars & Stripes summer program, so you’ll see it at retail with our brand lager out there with light lager and the rest of our portfolio.”
“We love having events like this to raise money and help support veterans,” Nola said as he relished in the moment of the defending National League Champions helping his efforts for a great cause.
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See what Andrew Salciunas found in The Audio Vault today. Andrew and Anthony Gargano are live from Clearwater this week. So all week they are celebrating the Phillies in The Audio Vault. Yesterday he played the best moments from the Phillies' regular season last year. And today they moved on to the Phillies' magical Post-Season run.
It was the run no one saw coming. As they talked about in yesterday's Vault, the Phillies limped into the playoffs. But then something clicked. They beat the Cardinals, the Braves, and then the Padres to get all the way to the World Series. And while the run sadly ended there, it was still a great ride. they lost just two games combined between those 3 series and none at home. The fans showed up, and the team gave them a show. Big comebacks, bat spikes, massive Hrs. We had missed Phillies post-season baseball for over a decade. But they more than made up for that lost time.
But what were the best moments? Andrew made his list. And since he is in Clearwater, he asked Dylan MacKinnon to help pull them from the Vault so they could play them for you all today. Join Andrew and Anthony below as the relived the best moments from the Phillies 2022 Post-season.
10) Marsh HR Off of Morton
Brandon Marsh got Game 4 vs the Braves started with a bang. He gave the Phillies a quick 3-0 lead hitting it into the outfield seats in the 2nd inning.
9) JT Realmuto Inside the Park HR
You dont see many inside the park HRs. You definitely didn't see many from catchers. And before JT Realmuto, we have never seen an inside-the-park HR by a catcher in the playoffs. That all changed in a series-clinching game 4 vs the Braves.
8) Harper's HR vs the Cardinals
Harper had a post-season for the ages. And it all started in game 2 vs the Cardinals. He led off the inning with what would eventually be the game-winning, and series-winning HR.
7) Segura Go Ahead RBI vs the Cardinals in Game 1
The post-season run may not have happened were it not for this hit by Jean Segura in game 1 vs the Cardinals. He completed the 9thing inning comeback, which eventually gave the Phillies the win.
6) JT Realmuto Go Ahead HR in Extras vs Astros
That was not the only big HR off the bat of The Best Catcher in Baseball though in the post-season. It was Realmuto's 10th-inning blast vs the Astros that helped the Phillies win game 1.
5) Stott Battles Spencer Strider
Before the Hoskins Bat Spike, there was the 9-pitch at-bat by Stott. He fouled off pitch after pitch vs Spencer Strider. And eventually, he won, sending a double into right field to drive in Brandon Marsh, setting up a massive inning for the Phillies.
4) Rhys Hoskins Bat Spike
Speaking of unforgettable moments, there was Rhy Hoskins emphatic bat spike. What made it great was not just the play itself, which was a 3-run HR that blew game 3 vs the Braves wide open. But also because of everything that led up to it. Rhys was not a popular man in Philly before the hit. His errors (they were not recorded as errors but lets face it, they were errors) cost them game 2. And he was not hitting in the post-season before that. But with one swing, he won the hearts and minds of Philly fans back.
3) Final Out vs Braves
And you cant have a list of the best moments and leave out the moment they made beat the Braves to make it to the NLCS.
2) Final Out vs Padres
Likewise, you can't leave out the moment they beat the Padres to make it to the World Series.
1) Bryce Harper Go Ahead HR vs Padres
The moment none of us will soon forget is Bryce Harpers' go-ahead HR in game 5 vs the Padres. The Phillies had just blown a lead due to inclement weather. They were in danger of having to take the series back to San Diego. But Harper was having none of that. With JT Realmuto on the bases, Harper clubbed a go-ahead 2-run shot into left field, which would eventually give them the win and clinch the series.
Listen to the full segment below...
