Austin Nola won the battle, but Aaron Nola won the war.
While Austin drove in a run against his younger brother in a Game 2 NLCS victory for the San Diego Padres, it's Aaron who is heading to the World Series after the Philadelphia Phillies won four of five games.
In fact, the Phillies clinched the National League pennant when Austin flew out to right field in Game 5, stranding the tying run on third base and the go-ahead run on second base.
After the game was over, Austin was asked whether he was going to congratulate Aaron on heading to the World Series. His answer was, well, extremely honest.
"I love my brother, but I have to let those emotions pass before I even talk to him," Austin said to Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune. "I’m going to congratulate him, but not right now. Hell no.''
During Games 3-5 at Citizens Bank Park, Austin heard "Aaron's better!" chants from Phillies fans each time he batted:
After Game 3 on Friday, Aaron acknowledged he got a kick out of the chants:
Aaron is going to start either Game 1 or Game 2 of the World Series against the Houston Astros this weekend. By then, Austin will likely be prepared to cheer for his brother. But it's reasonable that he needs a bit of time to decompress after losing himself.
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