ATLANTA — Nick Castellanos raised his right arm as he rounded first base. After touching second, he clapped his hands together. By the time he got to third, his teammates were waving towels and hanging over the dugout railing.
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it may have been the biggest home run hit by a Phillies player so far this season.
Not only did Castellanos give the Phillies a two-run lead in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s eventual 3-1 victory over the rival Atlanta Braves, but he broke a spell of 110 plate appearances without a home run. It was his longest drought since 2015, and by all accounts, it has weighed on the $100 million slugger like a 10-ton gorilla.
