Nick Castellanos knows how to play to the crowd.
The Philadelphia Phillies slugger had a nasty celebration after his game-tying home run in Game 4 of the NLDS on Thursday night. Castellanos smacked a first-pitch slider from Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider deep into the left field seats at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa. The home run tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 4th inning.
OOPS HE DID IT AGAIN pic.twitter.com/wbYPHVmECq
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 13, 2023
The clip of Castellanos’ celebration was a sight to behold. He immediately knew the ball he hit was destined for the bleachers. The 31-year-old walked with swagger and delivered a bat flip for the ages.
This bat flip was pretty pic.twitter.com/NWzupnYxO7
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 13, 2023
One additional wrinkle of the celebration was Castellanos’ moment with his son Liam, who has not been to a Phillies game since the summer. Nick pointed at Liam right when he was stepping on home plate (0:26 mark).
Nick Castellanos son Liam hasn’t been at the ballpark since Summer because of school.
But he’s sitting front row for the NLDS and his dad has hit 3 home runs in 24 hours.
Even better, Nick points right at him after touching home plate.pic.twitter.com/alMd5UNq8d
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) October 13, 2023
The home run was Castellanos’ third over the last two days. He went deep twice during the Phillies’ 10-2 win against the Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS.
Castellanos, of course, wasn’t done there. He homered again in the sixth to knock Strider out of the game.
THAT IS ONE BAD MAN. pic.twitter.com/a648EoRfav
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 13, 2023
Castellanos became the first player in MLB history with two-homer games in consecutive postseason games.
