Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos spark bedlam with back-to-back game-tying HRs
Just when it looked like the NLDS was slipping away from the Philadelphia Phillies, their bats finally awoke.
With the Phillies trailing 3-0 at home in the sixth inning of Game 2 on Sunday, they got a couple of clutch hits right when they needed it. After Trea Turner got on base with a two-out single off of New York Mets starter Luis Severino, who had stifled Philadelphia all day, Bryce Harper answered the call. Harper took advantage of a 2-2 mistake pitch down the middle from Severino and launched it into orbit to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
BACK#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/zv4zvNZSH3
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 6, 2024
Then just two pitches later, Nick Castellanos completed the comeback by taking Severino deep to left for the game-tying home run. The back-to-back jacks sent Citizens Bank Park into complete pandemonium. Take a look.
TO BACK#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/cBwCPUaA9n
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 6, 2024
The Phillies lost Game 1 at home on Saturday by a final score of 6-2 as they mustered just one run on a solo homer by Kyle Schwarber in the first inning before getting another meaningless run with two outs in the ninth inning and the game already decided. They had been silenced by Severino for the first 5.2 innings of Sunday’s contest as well, so the back-to-back jacks by Harper and Castellanos were a very welcome offensive sight.
The fun was admittedly short-lived as Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo hit a solo home run in the very next half-inning to wrestle back a 4-3 lead. But regardless, it is clear that the Phillies, who also had some nice defensive gems in Game 2, are not going down without a fight.