Nick Castellanos leads way for Phillies in NLDS Game 1 win

ATLANTA — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos called the postseason a «fresh start» for him after helping his team to a 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday.

Castellanos, 30, had three hits and three runs driven in, plus a ninth-inning, diving catch in right field to help seal the win for the visiting team.

«It's kind of just a fresh start, a clean slate, so to speak,» Castellanos said after the game. «And obviously these games are really intense. For me, that helps me lock in and kind of slow things down. It's just a lot of fun.

»Baseball is really, really fun."

That may not have been the case for the veteran for much of the regular season, as his numbers were well below his career averages. He compiled an OPS-plus of just 95, the lowest of his 10-year career.

«The one thing that all of us in this room share in common is we want to contribute to the club as much as we can every night,» teammate Rhys Hoskins said. «When you're not doing that it wears on you.

»The thing I've been impressed with is he's the same guy. He comes in, gets his work in, and off he goes in the game. It's awesome to see him have success today."

Castellanos signed a five-year, $100 million deal with Philadelphia in the offseason, struggled, then got hurt late in the year. He returned for the final nine games of the regular season while producing an OPS of just .536.

Going 0-for-7 in the wild-card round didn't help matters, but that all changed on Tuesday. Castellanos had an RBI single in the first inning, a double in the third, then a two-run single in the fourth, becoming the first Phillies player with a 3-hit, 3-RBI game in the postseason since Jayson Werth in the 2009 NLCS.