The Philadelphia Phillies ability to take the other team’s best shot helped them defeat the Atlanta Braves Thursday night and send them back to the National League Championships.
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
ABOVE PHOTO: The Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after Game 4 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, in Philadelphia. The Phillies won 3-1 to win the series. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Thanks to a 3-1 victory over the National League East champion Atlanta Braves on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park for the right to go to the World Series.
And they have right fielder Nick Castellanos to thank for it.
In Games 3 and 4 of the National League Division Series, Castellanos hit two home runs, becoming the first person in playoff history to hit two home runs in successive playoff games. With that effort, the Phillies once again eliminate a Braves squad that boasted the best record in baseball this regular season.
Perhaps the worst thing the Braves did in this series was jump out in front of Phillies early in the game because every time that happened, whether it was Atlanta’s comeback win Game 2 or scoring first in Games 3 and 4, the Phillies kept coming back in an emphatic way.
Earlier in the week, Castellanos said the Phillies thrive on coming back after the opposing punches them in the mouth. Games 3 and 4 served as a showcase for that, especially for the right fielder.
“Nick had an unbelievable series. I’m really proud of him,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “He’s had a great year. He’s had some struggles at times, but he sure has come up big lately. And back-to-back nights, they score the first run, and he ends up hitting a home run the next half inning to answer, and that’s huge.”
The Braves jumped out to a 1-0 in Game four when third baseman Austin Riley hit a solo home run into the left field seats in the top of the fourth inning.
But as they have all throughout the series, the Phillies responded quickly to Atlanta’s quick glimpse of success with a big hit of their own. Castellanos tied the game by launching a Spencer Strider pitch into the left field seats.
“We know how important momentum is in these postseason games, so any time you feel it swaying in the other direction, we do a very good job of locking it in to get the momentum back in our favor. That’s very important for our team,” Castellanos said during his postgame press conference with reporters.
Oddly enough, Strider, who was mocked and taunted by Phillies fans throughout his five and two-thirds innings on the mound, did not have a particularly bad game with seven strikeouts. But he gave up those three home runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
In that fifth inning, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner hit the home run that put the Phillies up for good. Castellanos hit his second home run of the game in the seventh inning to give the Phillies a much-needed insurance run.
The Phillies got a solid five innings out of starting pitcher Ranger Suarez. He allowed just three hits including the home run by Riley.
“I thought Ranger was fantastic. I really did, but there was no real set plan like he was only going to see 18 hitters or 15 hitters or whatever like that,” Thomson said.
The Braves, who have one of the best offenses in the baseball history, had one last chance to send the series back to Atlanta in the top of seventh when they loaded the bases with two out against Phillies relievers Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrell.
Braves right fielder Ron Acuna Jr. drove a Kimbrell pitch deep into the gap in left center field that seemed like it was going to drop in for an extra-base hit, but the Phillies rookie centerfielder Johan Rojas did what he has done since coming up from Double-A this summer: make a jaw dropping catch to stymie the Braves rally.
“I want to be ready at all times and so that’s my mindset when I go out there,“ Rojas said through team interpreter Diego Ettedgui. “If you want to score on me playing centerfield, you’re going to have to hit a homer.”
Now, the Phillies are four games away from going to the World Series for the second year in a row. To see if they get there, you can catch the game Monday on TBS beginning at 8 p.m. If you have the Max app, you can catch the game there, too.
Notes: At the end of the eighth inning, first baseman Bryce Harper made contact with Atlanta’s first baseman Matt Olson when he touched the bag for the last out. Olson apparently hit Harper’s surgically repaired elbow, but he was back on the field for the 9th inning and wasn’t seriously hurt.
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