After blaming the Citizens Bank Park shadows for the team’s lack of offense on Saturday, Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos showed fans what happens when he can see the ball.
Phillies’ Nick Castellanos slams a home run in Game 2. Photo by Webster Riddick
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
After complaining about not seeing the ball in the Phillies Game 1 loss to the New York Mets, right fielder Nick Castellano got some outstanding looks at the ball in Game 2, especially in his final at-bat.
Castellano’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth scored shortstop Trea Turner from second base and enabled the Phillies to even the best-of-five series against the Mets with a 7-6 victory in a topsy-turvy game that saw its share of twists and turns.
In other words, it was October baseball at its best and wildest.
Castellano, who was booed by fans for swinging at some atrocious pitches earlier in the game, was 3-for-5 and it was the latter three at-bats that enabled the Phillies to stay in the game and win it. After Bryce Harper’s two-run homer put the Phillies on the board in the sixth inning, Castellanos tied the game in that same inning with a solo home run. Castellanos put the Phillies in the lead in the bottom of the eighth when he scored on second baseman Bryson Stott’s two-run triple.
“I was just trying to the best I can to slow the game down to get a pitch in the zone,” Castellanos said. “I dug myself in a hole pretty quick and after that, it was fully not making any decisions before I fully recognized the pitch and I was able to do a good job.”
Nick Castellanos and the rest of the Phillies celebrate his home run. Photo by Webster Riddick
One of the things that Phillies manager Rob Thomson has always counted on during his tenure as a manager is his team’s ability to bounce back from losses. After watching his team lose Game 1 of the National League Division Series to the New York Mets, Thomson’s faith in his team remained intact.
“Yeah, I think our guys, they’re a very resilient group. I’ve said it many times over the course of the years, they have a short memory,” Thomson said before Sunday’s game. “They know that today’s a new day, and they’re going to come out here and they’re going to prepare and they’re going to go out and compete at a high level.”
In this game, some of that resilience came through during the game when it seemed like the Phillies were on their way to an 0-2 deficit in the series.
“Yeah, it’s a bunch of experienced guys. They’ve been through it before. They have a slow heartbeat, and they understand situations and they just keep battling,” Thomson said.
The Mets jumped out a 3-0 lead in the first six innings on a two-run homer by third baseman Mark Vientos in the third inning and a solo homer by first baseman Pete Alonso in the 6th.
After being quiet for five and two-thirds thanks to the pitching of Mets starter Luis Severino, the Phillies finally woke up in the bottom of the sixth thanks to Harper’s two-run home, which scored Kody Clemens. The Phillies tied the game on a solo homer by Castellanos.
“(Castellanos) doesn’t let anything bother him,” said Thomson said. “If he’s struggling, he’s going to keep working. He’s an experienced guy, he knows he’s going to come out of it at some point. He just keeps fighting.”
In the seventh inning, the Mets took a 4-3 lead on a solo home run by Brandon Nimmo just when it looked like the Phillies were getting back into the game.
But back came the Phils in the bottom of the eighth. They got a two-run triple from Stott to take the lead. The Phillies got what looked to be an insurance run when catcher J.T. Realmuto reached on a fielder’s choice enabling Stott to score from the third.
Just when it looked like the Phillies were going to come away with the win, Vientos hit his second two-run homer the night off Phillies reliever Matt Strahm to tie the game at 6-6. But in the bottom of the ninth, Castellanos’s clutch hit evened the series which will head to New York for games three and four.
Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez pitched five innings and allowed five hits and the two-run homer by Vientos in the third.
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