Phillies Veteran Pitcher Aaron Nola Reaches Incredible Career Milestone

Jul 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Phillies Veteran Pitcher Aaron Nola Reaches Incredible Career Milestone

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 8, 2026 7:18 PM ET

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The 2026 season has been a roller coaster for Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola, unfortunately featuring a lot more lows than highs.

He has shown some signs of life in recent starts, cutting into an ERA that was as high as 6.04 down to a still ugly, but more respectable, 5.55 entering his start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 8.

While the Phillies are going to need more from their veteran starter pitching moving forward, as he is performing closer to a No. 5 starter than the No. 4 they need him to be, he should be celebrated for the incredible milestone that he reached against the Blue Jays.

With his strikeout of catcher Brandon Valenzuela in the second inning, Nola reached the 2,000-strikeout plateau for his career. As shared by the team’s official account on X, he is the 94th pitcher in MLB history to reach that milestone.

Aaron Nola reaches 2,000-strikeout plateau

There are only seven other active pitchers who have struck out at least 2,000 batters: Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers, Max Scherzer of Toronto, who is facing Nola, Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves, Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees, Kevin Gausman, who was acquired by the Chicago Cubs from the Blue Jays ahead of the deadline, Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres and Sonny Gray of the Boston Red Sox.

It is an impressive feat for the Philadelphia veteran, showcasing his ability to not only stay healthy throughout his career to rack up that amount of strikeouts, but also the skill to continue producing even when he isn’t performing at the best of his ability.

Nola is one of the most accomplished pitchers in Phillies franchise history. He is second in career strikeouts behind only Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. A 9.791 K/9 ratio is the third best in franchise history.

Way to geaux Nola!

Aaron becomes the 94th pitcher in @MLB history to record 2,000 career strikeouts pic.twitter.com/cJOV9EbrYk
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 8, 2026

His 1,835.2 innings pitched entering the start against Toronto are seventh most, and he is climbing that list, as are the 112 victories he has recorded. The 308 starts he has made are third behind only Carlton, who is first with 499, and Robin Roberts, who is at 472.

A first-round pick, No. 7 overall in the 2014 MLB Draft, Nola has certainly lived up to expectations in his career. He has been everything the franchise could have hoped for as a consistent source of production on the mound.

It would not be surprising to see his No. 27 retired by the club one day in a ceremony similar to what his former teammate, Chase Utley, got to experience recently.

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This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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