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CLEARWATER Juan Samuel Jersey , Fla. (AP) — Pitcher Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a $45 million, four-year contract, avoiding a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for this week.The 25-year-old right-hander set career bests last year when he was a first-time All-Star, going 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA. He would have been eligible for free agency after the 2021 season..“I think Aaron Nola brings a preparation we can all look up to and our other players can emulate,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday. “I think his between-the-lines competitiveness is off the charts. He’s such a fighter, he’s such a grinder, he’s such a battler.”Under a deal announced Wednesday, Nola gets a $2 million signing bonus, $4 million this year, $8 million in 2020, $11.75 million in 2021 and $15 million in 2022. Philadelphia has a $16 million team option for 2023 with a $4.25 million buyout.“He doesn’t want any of the attention, he doesn’t want the spotlight on him,” Kapler said. “He just wants to compete, compete, compete. That’s what he’s done and that’s why he’s one of the two or three best pitchers in the National League over the course of the last couple of years.”Eligible for arbitration for the first time, Nola had asked for a raise from $573 http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-pat-neshek-jersey ,000 to $6.75 million and the Phillies had offered $4.5 million. Nola is to discuss the deal Thursday.Among the more than 175 players who were eligible for arbitration this year, Nola is the first to get a deal of more than one guaranteed season. Arizona left-hander T.J. MacFarland and Milwaukee catcher Manny Pina agreed to contracts that included 2020 club options.ARRIETARight-hander Jake Arrieta had left knee surgery last month. Kapler described the surgery as minor and said it was a meniscus cleanup with no structural issues.Kapler said Arrieta already has pitched off a mound and the team expects him to be ready for the regular season.“We’re just going to be smart about his running and cutting progression,” Kapler said.TRAINER’S ROOMRight-hander Jerad Eickhoff had carpal tunnel surgery on Oct. 1 and recently had a follow-up visit where it was determined he was not a candidate for further surgery. Kapler said Eickhoff will throw a bullpen session next week and be re-evaluated.“I think he’s had so much adversity over the last 12-18 months,” Kapler said. “He just wants to feel 100 percent so he continues to strive toward that goal.”Outfielder Aaron Altherr had surgery on his right foot at the end of the season and was immobilized for six weeks. Kapler said Altherr is gradually building toward running and he is expected to be ready for the start of the season.SEEING BOTH SIDESKapler says he doesn’t have any strong feeling either way on the proposed rule change that will would force a pitcher to face three batters in an inning or get the final out.“It’s fun to be able to mix and match and use one reliever to come in and get a guy out,” he said. “But if the rule was the same for everybody there are things that would work well for our roster.”Kapler said that David Robertson and Tommy Hunter are two relievers he thinks can have equal success against righties or lefties.THIRD BASE BATTLEKapler said Maikel Franco and Sean Kingery could be competing to start at third.“There is some competition at third base,” Kapler said. “And that’s a conversation I’ll have with Maikel and Scott.” CHICAGO (AP) — Tony Wolters waited and waited as the NL wild-card game went deep into Tuesday night. He stretched a couple of times and tried to figure out when he might get a chance to play.When that opportunity arrived, he was ready.Wolters hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the 13th inning and the Colorado Rockies outlasted the Chicago Cubs 2-1 at Wrigley Field in the longest win-or-go-home postseason game in major league history.“Probably the biggest hit I’ve ever had, that’s for sure,” he said.The 26-year-old Wolters, claimed off waivers from Cleveland in 2016, entered as part of a double switch in the bottom of the 12th. The reserve catcher came up with runners at the corners and drove in Trevor Story with a two-strike hit back up the middle off losing pitcher Kyle Hendricks, quieting the crowd of 40,151 on a crisp fall night.After playing its third big game over three days in three different cities, Colorado now heads to Milwaukee to open a best-of-five Division Series against the NL Central champion Brewers on Thursday.“We didn’t make it easy on ourselves, that’s for sure,” Story said Robin Roberts Jersey , “but we’re going to enjoy this one tonight and we’re definitely not done.”Scott Oberg, the sixth Colorado pitcher, fanned Kris Bryant for the final out of the 12th and then struck out the side in the 13th to end the longest postseason game at 104-year-old Wrigley. Terrance Gore tried to sell that he was hit by a pitch, but was sent back to the plate after a replay review confirmed the initial call.After Albert Almora Jr. struck out swinging for the final out, Wolters ran out and grabbed Oberg. They were soon joined by the rest of the excited Rockies in a rollicking purple mob near the mound.“You’re always wondering, ‘How’s this going to end?’ But our guys fought all night and to be able to get that last out there was great,” Oberg said.Wolters got his first hit since Sept. 10 in his playoff debut, and it was just the second postseason game for Oberg. Previously, the longest winner-take-all games in the postseason were 12-inning affairs in the 2014 AL wild-card round and Game 7 of the 1924 World Series.This one lasted 4 hours, 55 minutes, and had pretty much everything, too. Hendricks was the third starting pitcher used by the Cubs, after Jon Lester worked six solid innings and Cole Hamels was pressed into action after the teams were tied at 1 through nine. Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado exchanged a memorable hug with Javier Baez after he tagged the excitable Cubs star in the 11th.Colorado moved on to the Division Series for the first time since 2009. The Rockies lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game a year ago.“Such a crazy game,” Story said.The Cubs made it to the NLCS in each of the previous three seasons, winning the 2016 World Series to break a 108-year drought, but they were plagued by an inconsistent offense all season long. Chicago finished with six hits and left 10 runners on base after managing only three hits in Monday’s 3-1 home loss to the Brewers in the NL Central tiebreaker.“We played that game a lot Tug McGraw Jersey ,” said manager Joe Maddon, who matched a postseason record by using 23 players. “Believe me, it was on my mind for a large part of it.”This time, it was Kyle Freeland cruising through Maddon’s lineup.Starting on three days’ rest for the first time in the pros, Freeland struck out six in 6 2/3 scoreless innings. The Denver native looked quite comfortable in his first career playoff appearance, helping his hometown team bounce back from Monday’s NL West tiebreaker loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles.“Sometimes you just get beat and we got beat tonight,” Lester said.Lester helped Chicago stick around by matching a career playoff high with nine strikeouts in his 26th postseason appearance. But he took a little while to settle into the game, and the Rockies took advantage.Charlie Blackmon led off with a five-pitch walk. DJ LeMahieu followed with a ground-rule double on a 3-2 pitch — with the ball getting stuck in the famed ivy in left-center — and Arenado’s sacrifice fly drove in Blackmon.Lester then limited the damage by striking out Story and Matt Holliday with LeMahieu on third.That one run looked as if it might hold up as Freeland cruised into the seventh. After Story robbed Daniel Murphy of a hit with a diving grab at shortstop, manager Bud Black replaced Freeland with Adam Ottavino.Chicago loaded the bases with two outs, getting some help when Drew Butera was called for catcher’s interference, but Ottavino struck out pinch-hitter Jason Heyward to end the inning.The Cubs got another chance when Anthony Rizzo singled with two outs in the eighth, and Maddon went for it. He ran for his star first baseman with the speedy Gore, who promptly swiped second.Ottavino had an 0-2 count on Baez when his third pitch got too much of the plate. The free-swinging slugger drove it into the gap in left-center for a tying double , easily scoring Gore from second and sending a charge through the crowd.Hitters had been 0 for 36 against Ottavino with an 0-2 count this year.“I think this is a classic,” Black said. “I think this will go down as a Major League Baseball classic. … And it’s awesome that a number of these fellas will always remember this game.”