A.J. Nola On 94WIP: 'I Almost Lost It When He Ran Onto The Mound'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You could hear it in his trembling voice. It was a fervent moment most fathers don't get to experience, which isn't easily explained.
"Wow, I can try," A.J. Nola told 94WIP Morning Show host Angelo Cataldi on Thursday, when asked to describe the moment when his son Aaron was about to throw his first major league pitch.
Listen: A.J. Nola on the 94WIP Morning Show
"I can certainly try. Let me try to explain," A.J. Nola continued. "I'm lost for words, but I'm gonna try my best."
On Tuesday night, Aaron, just 22-years-old, became the first Phillies pitcher to make his major league debut just one year after being drafted (No. 7 overall) since 1989. He dazzled at Citizens Bank Park, allowing just one run and five hits, adding six strikeouts and only one walk in six innings of work.
"He worked so hard and I watched him grow up with his brother [Austin] and they lived and breathed baseball," an emotional A.J. Nola said. "That's our family. Me and my wife [Stacie], she hauled them to practice and I coached and we had a ton of friends that did the same. We played on really competitive baseball teams."
Austin Nola, Aaron's big brother, is currently an infielder for the Marlins Triple-A affiliate. Both Aaron and Austin played their college ball together at LSU.
"We watched it grow from Little League to high school, to college, and then going through the draft was really special," A.J. Nola said. "And then to be here in this stadium and to be drafted by Philly and then to walk into the stadium---I almost lost it when he ran onto the mound. The feeling is hard to talk about because it's so strong that I just, I get kinda teared up as a dad knowing that he's finally here. And then the expectations of him doing well and playing well for the Philly fans. He wants to do well. That's about what I can say about it."
A.J., who coached both of his boys growing up, said it was Aaron's first year in high school when his talented became evident.
"Around the ninth grade," A.J. Nola said, when asked when he discovered Aaron's ability. "I was his freshman high school coach and he was displaying some abilities in the bullpen that me and the other coaches noticed right away. Of course, he played Little League ball before that and he was pretty decent but he was really skinny. He was just a thin boy and didn't have any meat on his bones."
Nola displayed a fastball that reached 94-MPH and a filthy 78-MPH curveball in his debut.
"He probably had a lot of adrenaline pumping Tuesday night," A.J. joked. "He probably could have threw it through a brick wall."
