PHILADELPHIA — Entering Saturday’s game against the Rockies, Nick Castellanos had not hit a home run since Aug. 27, 2022. Cristian Pache had only four in his career. The Phillies have not hit many home runs in general, but it’s safe to say few expected a home run from Pache or Castellanos anytime soon.
But this sport has a knack for delivering the unexpected. And in a 4-3 win on Saturday, it was Castellanos and Pache who gave the Phillies three badly needed long balls.
Castellanos gave them not one, but two. In the bottom of the second inning, he took a slider — a pitch against which he was batting .111 this season — and launched it 378 feet to the left-field seats. In the bottom of the sixth inning, he hit another slider for a home run, this one to left center. It was the 10th multi-homer game of Castellanos’ career.
