Aaron Nola in 2019: “Where I come from, people don’t really honk their horns much. In Baton Rouge we sit around a fire and talk life. Hot or cold. It doesn’t matter. It’s a sportsman’s paradise in Louisiana. So the first time I was able to really experience the city of Philadelphia, in 2014 after my season in Double A ended, it was kind of funny and stressful at the same time. Cars parked in the middle of the street. Horns honking every 10 seconds. People crossing at every light and corner. Street vendors and people traffic everywhere. And…. Me. A kid from Louisiana, fresh out of college. Far from home. Wearing some faded, broken-in jeans and an old hoodie. Standing in the middle of all that, laughing at myself and this place of chaos. I had never spent time in a large city before. I remember saying to myself: ‘This has got to be the biggest city in the world.’ Then at one point I started walking around trying to find something to eat, obviously having no idea where I am. It was raining and about 35°. Not knowing any better, I was walking close to the curb when a bus passed and hit a pothole. I got soaked. That was a great start to the day. Welcome to Philly, bud!.... I came to Philadelphia as a kid from Baton Rouge who’d never experienced life in a big city. And for a minute, when I was standing on that sidewalk, wet from getting splashed by a bus, it looked like a lot for me. But I can now say that I’m a better person because of Philadelphia, my teammates, and the people I have surrounded myself with. With the grace of God, it turned out I landed in the right place.” playerstribu.ne/Nola @Phillies | @MLB