Two brothers faced off against each other as pitcher and batter for the first time in MLB postseason history during Wednesday’s game.
Philadelphia Phillies’ starting pitcher Aaron Nola got his older brother Austin, starting catcher for the San Diego Padres, to ground out to third base during the siblings’ historic encounter on the diamond.
Aaron Nola vs Austin Nola
1st brothers to face each other at the plate in MLB playoff history
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) October 19, 2022
The brothers shared positive remarks about each other during their media appearances in the build-up to game two of the series.
“Growing up, I always wanted to be as good as him [Austin], and I went to almost every one of his baseball games, basketball games, football games. I got to see how he went about his business and played the game, and I learned a lot from him,” Aaron said prior to first pitch. (RELATED: Carson Wentz To Miss Significant Time With Injury. Will The Team Get Better Or Worse?)
“He’s helped me a lot with the catching stand-point for sure, because he’s been doing this for a long time at a high level,” Austin told reporters during the press conference.
“Everything to this point is just so surreal. Worth every penny of it,” the brothers’ father, A.J. Nola, said, speaking to Fox field reporter Ken Rosenthal about his sons’ matchup at the plate.
Credit to the entire Nola family for making this possible. It takes an immense amount of commitment and talent for these two brothers to make it this far in their baseball careers, and to face off against each other on such a huge stage.