Nola vs Nola: Brothers Aaron and Austin's Family Face Off Set to be an Intriguing NLCS subplot

It has been a tense period in the Nola household for proud parents Stacie and A.J. Their two sons, San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, are on a collision course to determine which brother makes it to the World Series this year.

The Padres qualified for the playoffs as the National League’s fifth seed, while the Phillies clinched the final Wild Card berth. Naturally, both teams were considered outsiders. Naturally, October magic caused fortunes to shift quickly as both sides made it to the NL Championship Series.

"Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola will be facing his brother Austin Nola to go to the World Series. Their dad AJ Nola is wearing his Padres jersey on top tonight but he will wear his Phillies jersey on top tomorrow night when Aaron pitches. One proud Dad! A Nola will go to the WS" - John Clark

When both teams made it to the Wild Card Series, Momma Nola joked that the two brothers might face each other down the line. The odds seemed insurmountable, yet nine days later, the two outsiders had turned into serious contenders for the holy grail.

The two brothers will be in opposing dugouts on Tuesday night when the Phillies take on the Padres in Game 1 of the NLCS. On Wednesday night, Aaron will be on the mound, facing his big brother for the first time in the postseason and the third time in his career.

Aaron Nola the happier brother after Game 1 as Padres bats go silent

Bryce Harper hit his fourth postseason home run this season before Kyle Schwarber launched a jaw-dropping 488-foot homer that didn’t fail to amaze even the staunchest critic.

"488 feet! 120 mph! Kyle Schwarber, oh my goodness." - MLB

The Phillies managed just three hits off Yu Darvish and the San Diego bullpen — the combined four hits matched the fewest ever in a postseason game. However, the Padres bats went completely silent as the Phillies held on for a 2-0 win.

Speaking after the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said:

“I thought Darvish was really good and we couldn’t get much going, but Harper, three straight games with a home run, and Schwarber’s game was just completely flush. I mean, with the great pitching we had tonight, that’s all we needed.”

Harper has now hit nine home runs in 26 career postseason games.

Schwarber’s hit, on the other hand, had an exit velocity of 119.7 mph — the hardest-hit ball in any postseason since 2015.

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