Nick Castellanos' roller coaster Game 2 emphasizes Philadelphia Phillies' historic comeback over Mets
The roller coaster ride Nick Castellanos experienced Sunday told the story of one of the wildest games in Philadelphia Phillies postseason history. When Castellanos was at his lowest point, so were the Phillies.
In the fourth inning of the Game 2 comeback win over the Mets, the Philly faithful gave the Bronx cheer to Castellanos when he took a pitch in the dirt. This came on the heels of him swinging at the first two pitches in the dirt.
The Phillies had zero runs and two hits at that point and were trailing 2-0, the same deficit that stared them straight in the face if they would have lost Sunday. Castellanos had enough of the sarcasm and had his Alec Bohm moment in the heat of his at-bat.
The words were said. There was nothing Castellanos could do.
"I was just kind of frustrated," Castellanos said. "I had a lot of thoughts that went into my head."
Castellanos was right in the middle of the wild ride the Phillies experienced in Game 2, responding to the sarcastic cheers with three hits in the wild 7-6 victory over the Mets, including the walk-off single that tied the series up 1-1.
The Phillies' offense was lifeless through the first five innings, needing any spark to get themselves back into the game — and the series. Trailing 3-0, Bryce Harper sent a Luis Severino fastball into the ivy in center field to make it 3-2.
Castellanos—hitless at that stage—was up next. He followed with a home run of his own, turning the crowd back in his favor as the Phillies tied the game. That hit changed the course of the game and started Castellanos' redemption tour.
"I don't think he's bothered by a lot of things," Kyle Schwarber said. "He stays in the game, he stays in the moment, he stays in that at-bat. The result doesn't really phase him. It doesn't matter what the at-bat is before. He's in his next at-bat. That's the quality thing about being in this spot, right? You gotta have a short memory."
The Phillies were far from the roller coaster ride ending. The Mets took a 4-3 lead in the seventh, only for the Phillies to rally in the eighth. Castellanos was up after Harper's single and hit Harper over to third with a single of his own.
Then Bryson Stott came to the plate, hitting a triple down the line. Castellanos booked it from first to home to ensure the Phillies had the lead. There was no way he wasn't scoring.
"He loves to thrive in spots like that," J.T. Realmuto said. "He's dealt with a lot of ups and downs here in Philly and he always seems to come out on top. He just keeps coming through."
Of course, the roller coaster ride wasn't over yet. The Phillies gave up a two-run lead in the top of the ninth as the Mets had another rally in them. Castellanos made sure there wasn't another one.
The Phillies were down to their final out in the ninth. Trea Turner and Harper walked, setting the stage for Castellanos' heroics.
Castellanos swung at a slider, fouled off a sinker and laid off a slider. The next pitch was a slider, one Castellanos drilled into left field and got the one jeering crowd etching him into Phillies postseason lore.
"I wasn't going to make any decisions before I fully recognized the pitch," Castellanos said. "I don't know how big (my eyes) got, but I did like that pitch when I saw it."
As Castellanos was showered by his teammates, he had to run over to his son, Liam, to cherish the moment with him. There weren't many words said, but it's a moment Castellanos will remember forever.
"When I'm old and no one cares about me as a baseball player anymore," Castellanos said, "we're gonna be at home and be able to remember and look back at that."
The jeers turned to cheers in two hours. Only in baseball can a player change the narrative so fast.
That's the story of Nick Castellanos, right in the heart of the Phillies' biggest comeback of the season.
"It is what it is," Schwarber said. "I don't know if he took it personally, but he came up big for us. He doesn't get bothered by a result."