We are officially about to enjoy the 2022 MLB World Series, which starts on Friday at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
The Houston Astros will host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the best-of-seven matchup.
Justin Verlander will take the ball for the home club, while Aaron Nola will toe the rubber for the Phils.
On paper, it looks like a lopsided matchup given that the Astros won 106 regular-season games and are undefeated in the playoffs; while the Phillies earned “just” 87 victories.
However, the beauty of playoffs baseball is that anything can happen, and the Phillies do have the weapons to put up a fight and perhaps more than that.
One of those weapons is Nola.
The right-hander was the last pitcher to beat the Astros.
It happened on October 3, during the last few days of the regular season.
“Aaron Nola gets the ball in Game 1 looking to replicate his last outing in Houston,” MLB Network tweeted.
Aaron Nola gets the ball in Game 1 looking to replicate his last outing in Houston 👀#WorldSeries | #RedOctober pic.twitter.com/0UO1cVzZvG
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 27, 2022
Nola Knows How To Beat The Astros
That day, Nola threw 6.2 scoreless innings and notched the win.
The Astros were already in the playoffs and had earned their first-round bye, but silencing them was still no easy task.
It will be even harder on Friday, now that they will be playing in the most competitive of environments.
But if anyone can shut down Houston for six or seven frames, it’s Nola.
The righty posted a rock-solid 3.25 regular-season ERA in 205 frames, notching a whopping 235 strikeouts.
He has also been brilliant in the playoffs, with a 3.12 ERA while facing excellent teams in the National League.
If the Phillies can take Game 1 on Friday behind Nola, their odds of getting the trophy would be much higher.
NEXT: The Phillies Can Maintain MLB's Parity With A Series Win