Aaron Nola was praised as a Phillies playoff hero through the first two starts of his postseason career, tossing 12.2 innings without allowing an earned run to help Philadelphia reach the NLCS.
By Wednesday night, the lifelong Phillie was being compared to one of the most infamous playoff hiccups in franchise history.
Gifted a 4-0 lead in the second inning of Wednesday’s game two in San Diego, Nola collapsed and allowed six runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings, including back-to-back home runs to Brandon Drury and Josh Bell right after the Phillies built their early lead. It reminded some Phillies fans of Cliff Lee’s implosion in game two of the 2011 NLDS, when the lefty blew an early 4-0 lead against the Cardinals, finishing his day with 12 hits and five earned runs allowed through six innings of work.
The 102-win Phils went on to lose that series in five games, marking the end of their championship window with their core that won the title in 2008.
That loss by Lee led to the Cardinals tying the series, and Nola’s rough day resulted in an identical outcome. Now, Phillies fans can only hope history doesn’t repeat itself as the series shifts to Philadelphia.