Former LSU Tiger standout pitcher Aaron Nola won over beleaguered fans in Philadelphia Tuesday night in his major league debut, despite the fact the Phillies fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0.
The 22-year-old first rounder from the 2014 Draft gave up just one earned run while striking out six batters, courtesy of a combination of fastballs, curveballs and change ups.
"It was pretty awesome to be out there, to feel the energy of the fans and get to pitch at this level," Nola said. "It was pretty amazing and a pretty good feeling tonight."
The Phillies may be a desperately struggling franchise, but Nola's potential offers a bright ray of hope for the future.
Nola didn't just contribute from atop the pitchers mound; the Baton Rouge native also singled up the middle for Philadelphia, much to the crowd's delight.
What a crowd it was, for this season anyway. According to the website , 20,148 fans showed up to the series opener Monday, but 28,703 turned out for Nola's debut Tuesday.
The right-hander is one of the best pitchers in SEC history -- the only player to be named the league's Pitcher of the Year twice, both in 2013 and 2014.
Nola ended his illustrious career in Baton Rouge ranked No. 3 on LSU's Career Strikeouts List (345), #4 on LSU's Career ERA List (2.09) and #5 on LSU's Career Wins List (30).
