"Stros up by 1 game already", "Not a fan of that" - Philadelphia Phillies fans concerned by team starting Aaron Nola for game one of World Series over Zack Wheeler

Philadelphia Phillies boss Rob Thomson has announced that Aaron Nola will start Game 1 of the World Series against the Houston Astros. He will be replaced by Zack Wheeler as the starter in Game 2.

Nola will face off against the heavy hitters in the Houston Astros lineup as the Phillies appear in their first World Series game since 2009. He has notably recorded more wins than Wheeler in one less start

However, with the sensational performances of Wheeler this postseason, a portion of the Philadelphia Phillies fans couldn't hide their disappointment about the news. Many took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on Thomson's update, with one writing:

While others found the move baffling, another portion of the fanbase expressed their support for the skipper's decision.

The logic behind the move could be Wheeler's drastic proficiency on different days of rest periods. On regular rest days, his ERA spiked to 3.64. On five days of rest, it decreases to 2.57. While on six days of rest or more, it plummets down to 1.67.

Wheeler has been in mercurial form in the playoffs, going 1-1 in four starts with a clinical 1.78 ERA and 25 strikeouts across 25 1/3 innings pitched.

Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros: The bane of each other's existence

The Philadelpha Phillies and the Houston Astros met each other for a three-game regular season-ending series for both squads. Who would have thought that the final series of both teams for the regular season would have another round, this time in the World Series?

The Phillies, who went all the way from the Wild Card round, haven't lost in their previous three series. The last team to defeat them in a series was, in fact, the Astros, who went 2-of-3 in their three-game regular-season series finale.

Houston, on the other hand, is 7-0 in the postseason and hasn't lost in its last nine games. The last time the Houston Astros lost a baseball game was back in October 3 against none other than the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies shut down the Astros 3-0 in the opening game of their series finale. Aaron Nola, who will be the starter for Game 1 of the World Series game against the Astros, claimed the victory after producing a gem at Minute Maid Park.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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