Aaron Nola is tied for the major league lead in games started but there won’t be a 35th outing this season.
With the Philadelphia Phillies out of playoff contention, Nola will not pitch Sunday’s season finale against the Miami Marlins.
“We asked him to pitch every five days for the rest of the season,” Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler told reporters. “And if the last game of the season was going to help us get into the playoffs, we were going to pitch him.
“But we’re balancing trying to win every game here with our 2020 expectations and beyond. It is my duty to protect Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies, and that’s why he’s not going to pitch on Sunday.”
Nola is 12-7 with a 3.87 ERA in a career-best 34 starts. The right-hander has struck out a career-best 229, five more than last season when he finished third in National League Cy Young Award balloting.
Nola made 33 starts last year when he went 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA. He was a National League All-Star last season for the first time.
Nola certainly would have trotted out there one more time, but Kapler didn’t leave it up for discussion.
“He wants to pitch as much as he possibly can,” Kapler said. “This was my decision and I made it in the best interest of the Philadelphia Phillies.”
Nola made $4 million this season in the first year of a four-year, $45 million deal.
The Phillies haven’t announced a replacement starter for Nola.