Top star has long been a steady and dependable piece of the Phillies’ rotation throughout most of his MLB career.

Known for his durability — with just two trips to the injured list since 2017 — and consistent performance over nearly a decade, He had firmly established himself as one of Philadelphia’s most trusted pitchers. That’s why it was so surprising to see him head into his  start at Wrigley Field with an 0-5 record and a 6.43 ERA through his first five outings.

Under the bright lights of Sunday Night Baseball, Aaron Nola delivered his strongest outing of the season.

He tossed seven impressive innings, allowing just one run, before the Phillies’ bullpen added two scoreless frames to keep the Cubs in check and push the series finale into extra innings. Then, in the top of the 10th, Philadelphia’s offense came through, sealing a 3-1 victory at Wrigley Field.

“That was classic Nola,” said shortstop Trea Turner. “He’s had some bad luck with the weather and the conditions during his starts. Today was a little better, and just that small difference let him get back to being himself. He’s going to be a big part of what we do. I’m not worried about him at all.”

In the 10th inning, right fielder Nick Castellanos started as the automatic runner on second. Catcher J.T. Realmuto and left fielder Max Kepler then worked back-to-back walks to load the bases. Third baseman Alec Bohm followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home the go-ahead run, and after the Phillies reloaded the bases, Turner beat out an infield single to third, adding an insurance run.

Relievers Orion Kerkering, José Alvarado, and Jordan Romano each delivered a scoreless inning in the eighth, ninth, and 10th, respectively, sealing the win and securing the series victory for the Phillies in Chicago.

However, it was Nola’s strong performance that put Philadelphia in a position to win. Against the Cubs, Nola pitched his best game of the season, striking out six batters over a season-high seven innings. His only mistake came in the second inning, when back-to-back doubles allowed Chicago to take an early lead.

Apart from that, Nola was dominant, looking far more like the ace the Phillies re-signed to a seven-year, $172 million deal in November 2023, rather than the pitcher who had lost his first five starts this season.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson noted that Nola’s cutter was working, possibly for the first time this season. Nola agreed, stating, “It might’ve been as good as it’s been in a while.” He threw the cutter 17 times out of his 99 total pitches, and it generated six whiffs on 14 swings.