CLEARWATER, Fla. — Nick Castellanos, after meeting the media for the first time as a Philadelphia Phillie, walked away from the podium on Wednesday afternoon and locked eyes with Karie Dombrowski, wife of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
“Hey Nick,” she said with a grin. “I’m Landon’s mom!”
Castellanos’ face lit up. Landon, who is now a senior at Wake Forest University, was just 13 years old when Castellanos first met him. Castellanos was playing in the Detroit Tigers organization, under Dombrowski’s front office. The two instantly connected, watching SpongeBob in the big-league clubhouse, and shagging balls in the outfield together. They still stay in touch.
