Nick Castellanos just had his best game in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform.
On Tuesday, the Phillies bested the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in Game 1 of the NLDS off the back of an all-timer of a game from Castellanos. At the plate, Castellanos went 3-for-5 with three RBIs as the Phillies chased Braves ace Max Fried early. The Phillies would need those runs, however, as Matt Olson went yard in the ninth inning for a three-run home run that trimmed Philadelphia’s lead to one with one out.
Then, when the next batter William Contreras poked a ball out to shallow right field looking for more, Castellanos was there with a stunning sliding catch to stem the bleeding.
Also NICK CASTELLANOS ARE YOU KIDDING WITH THIS CATCH pic.twitter.com/MLpgZnDLel
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 11, 2022
Wow! Castellanos has never been billed as a playmaking outfielder, so what a tremendous effort to snag that ball on a dive. The Phillies were able to hang on to win the game and they have Castellanos to thank for making a big time play in a clutch moment.
MLB fans were equally stunned at Castellanos’ sensational ninth inning snag.
CASTELLANOS HOLY SHIT
— Bill Hanstock (@sundownmotel) October 11, 2022
DEFENSIVE WIZARD NICK CASTELLANOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/rmVvmZS5d5
— Absolutely Hammered (@AH_Pod) October 11, 2022
Castellanos is the MVP so far! What a catch!
— Tyrone Johnson (@TyJohnsonNews) October 11, 2022
Insane play by Castellanos. If that gets by him, it’s probably a tie game.
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) October 11, 2022
If Castellanos lets the ball drop in front of him, the Braves' win probability increases from 11.4% to 20.9%. So, at the very least, the catch was worth 9.7 points of win probability… perhaps as much as 46.8 points if he dives and misses it.
— Devan Fink (@DevanFink) October 11, 2022
Once again, Nick Castellanos picked the right time to get into a groove. What a catch and what a game.
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) October 11, 2022
“Nick Castellanos is a terrible fielder”
Nick Castellanos: pic.twitter.com/XohKuSsqdu
— A2D Radio (NoNotes) (@a2dradio) October 11, 2022
The Nick Castellanos game
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) October 11, 2022
Nick Castellanos had an entire MVP season in less than four hours.#Phillies
— Mike Sielski (@MikeSielski) October 11, 2022
Wow he hasn’t made a catch like that all season. What a game for Castellanos
— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) October 11, 2022
OMG NICK CASTELLANOS DEFENSIVE SUPERSTAR LET’S GO
— James Seltzer (@JamesSeltzer) October 11, 2022
