Two years in a row, the performance of the Phillies' top three starters and most important bullpen pieces has given them a decided advantage in the postseason.
Two years in a row, they've been reminded of the importance of pitching depth and the value of having horses atop the rotation.
Between Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez, the Phillies have playoff-tested starters who have produced in October, and with seven relievers they trust using in high-leverage situations, manager Rob Thomson can act as aggressively as he has these last two postseasons, often pulling his starter by the sixth inning.
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Even though starting pitching is more devalued than ever in October — Game 1 of the ALCS was the first this postseason in which both pitchers went at least six innings — the Phillies know just how valuable Nola, a free agent after the World Series, has been when it's mattered most.
He's made seven starts in the playoffs and allowed two runs or fewer in four of them. The Phillies have gone 5-2 and turn to him again for Game 2 of the NLCS Tuesday against the Diamondbacks.
"I hope so, I really do," Nola said Monday when asked if he wanted to return to the Phillies in free agency. "I love it here. Obviously, it's the only place I've been. I came up through some special times in the rebuilding era and have gotten to witness and be a part of a lot of different types of teams.
"To be on a team like I am now, and to be a part of all the success and failures to get to where we are now, it's really cool and special to see."
Philadelphia Phillies
Nola debuted in the summer of 2015 and is the Phillies' longest-tenured player. He's experienced plenty of individual success over those nine seasons, finishing third, fourth and seventh in Cy Young voting and delivering one of the best years by any pitcher in Phillies history in 2018, when he went 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA.
Nola will be heavily sought after in free agency, even after a down year by his standard. He made another 32 starts and hasn't missed one since 2017. But his ERA was 4.46 and he allowed 32 home runs, five more than ever before. He still struck out more than a batter per inning but his rate was the lowest it's been since his rookie year.
Despite that 2023 inconsistency, Nola is still going to get a major payday this winter. Teams like the Cardinals, Braves, Dodgers and Red Sox stick out as starting pitching-needy suitors who could pony up to pay him.
Carlos Rodon signed for $162 million over six years with the Yankees last offseason. He was coming off of a strong 2022 season but didn't have nearly the track record of success Nola's had. From the perspective of Nola and his representatives, why would he be worth any less than Rodon?
The Phillies were unable to reach an extension with Nola before the season began with the sides seemingly far apart. Trying again after the playoffs will still make sense and the need for starting pitching will still exist. If anything, it's more pronounced for the Phillies now than it was prior to the season.
Andrew Painter underwent Tommy John surgery and won't pitch for the Phillies in 2024. Griff McGarry, who entered the year as their third-ranked pitching prospect, was shut down late in the season after allowing 20 runs in 4⅓ innings at Triple A. Mick Abel made progress but still has one Triple A start under his belt.
Plus, Wheeler will be a free agent after 2024. The Phillies will feel good about Wheeler for 2024 and have Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez and Taijuan Walker locked up beyond then, but they could still use Nola as much as several other interested clubs.
"I signed my (last) contract going into 2019, so obviously I wanted to be here," Nola said. "I love the organization and all the staff and the players. Obviously each year better players came through, better guys coming through, forming new relationships, so obviously I love that part about it."
Nola takes special pride in having seen the Phillies grow from a rebuilding organization to a free-agent destination to a legitimate World Series contender with the craziest home-field advantage going in baseball.
The Phillies have graduated important homegrown players who have become everyday staples like Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Johan Rojas, but still, a lot of it goes back to the day they signed Bryce Harper.
"To know that he wanted to come to Philadelphia to bring back a championship one day was awesome because we were in a big rebuilding phase," Nola said. "To get that guy here, we knew that we were on a track to not rebuild, to get over that hump again.
"Obviously we made a couple other big signings with J.T. (Realmuto). I mean, where we've come since then is pretty amazing. Like I said, it's been really cool to be a part of. I feel like not many players really get to go through the rebuilding phase all the way until the team we are now.
"It makes me appreciate it a lot."
He'll have at least one more start at Citizens Bank Park as a Phillie Tuesday night opposite D-backs right-hander Merrill Kelly, looking to pitch his team to a commanding 2-0 NLCS lead.