How Nick Castellanos 'locked in' amid Phillies fans' love and hate

PHILADELPHIA — Iconic performances in this city typically involve two things: a healthy dose of jeering from the fan base, followed by sweet redemption in the form of a meaningful win. Who doesn't love a comeback story?

But there are layers to these things. What Nick Castellanos accomplished Sunday night against the Mets — crushing a game-tying home run in the sixth inning and a walk-off single in the ninth to seal a 7-6 Phillies win — cannot be properly understood from looking at his 3-for-5 in the box score. To understand Castellanos is to dig deeper than how he carries himself on the surface.

"He doesn't let anything bother him, really," manager Rob Thomson said of Castellanos. "If he's struggling, it doesn't really bother him, he just keeps working. He's an experienced guy. He knows he's going to come out of it at some point. He just keeps fighting."

Halfway through Game 2 of the National League Division Series, the situation was getting desperate for the Phillies and their embattled right fielder. 

Castellanos opened his fourth-inning at-bat against Luis Severino having logged just two hits in his past 10 at-bats, dating back to the final days of the regular season. The Phillies dropped Game 1 to the Mets in part because the offense had struggled to hit. Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Castellanos combined to go 2-for-20 to kick off the 2024 playoffs. The Phillies had to win Sunday and split the series to avoid going into Citi Field with their backs against the wall. 

In the fourth inning, with the Phillies trailing 2-0, the home crowd was edgy and fed up — getting on its players early and often — by the time Castellanos dug into the box for his second at-bat of the night.

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