Phillies' Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber make MLB postseason history
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Nick Castellanos and the Phillies can't stop hitting home runs.
In Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night, Castellanos hit a 362-foot opposite field home run to right field against Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen.
With that homer, Castellanos joined Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson as the only two players in MLB history to hit five homers in a three-game postseason span. Jackson was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the playoffs with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees.
WHAT HAS THIS MAN BEEN EATING??? pic.twitter.com/KJelMACBUr
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 17, 2023
The solo shot by Castellanos gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The Phillies slugger followed up homers from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
Both Schwarber and Harper set the tone for the Phillies with solo shots in the bottom of the first inning off Gallen. The South Jersey native has had a rough start to his first playoff game at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies added to their lead in the bottom of the third inning after Harper knocked Trea Turner home with a single.
Entering Game 1, Castellanos was batting .391 with four homers, five RBIs and nine hits in six games. He became the first player in MLB history to hit two homers apiece in back-to-back playoff games in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Kyle Schwarber makes MLB postseason history
Schwarber had a cold first two postseason series but made his presence known in his first at-bat in the NLCS.
Schwarber hit a first-pitch homer that went 420 feet to right field in the bottom of the first off Gallen to give the Phils a 1-0 lead. The homer was his first of the postseason.
YOU'RE JOKING pic.twitter.com/XNDCbcJ1e4
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 17, 2023
The homer also gave Schwarber the most lead-off home runs in MLB postseason history, passing former Phillies World Series champion Jimmy Rollins and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.
The lead-off homer by Schwarber was his fourth, while Rollins and Jeter each had three.