The only person in Philadelphia having a better week than Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos is his 10-year-old son, Liam.
The Castellanos family lives in South Florida, so Nick and Liam are away from each other during the baseball season. And while Liam was often seen in the Phillies clubhouse during the summer, he returned to Florida when school started. So by the time Liam was able to attend Game 3 of the NLDS last week, it had been more than a month since Castellanos had seen his son.
With Liam sitting behind the plate, Castellanos crushed two homers in that game, then two more in the following game. Since Liam got to Philadelphia, all the Phillies have done is win. He was back in his usual spot in the front row on Monday night, and his dad hit yet another home run.
This video from the stands shows what a cool moment it was for Liam. Not only did he go ballistic celebrating, he got a high five from on-deck hitter Brandon Marsh and then a point from his dad as he returned to the dugout.
The @Phillies better be asking Liam what size ring he is @jessgomezzz - Casty might get a statue pic.twitter.com/n8Mn8ouvLy
— Andrew Mongeluzzi (@_andrewmongo) October 17, 2023
Liam’s usual seat right near the on-deck circle puts him in a perfect position to give his dad some last-minute advice before he steps to the plate.
“He tells me to hit it over the fence every time,” Castellanos told reporters on Saturday.
In the three games that Liam has attended, Castellanos has repeatedly heeded his son’s advice. He has five homers in his past three games—the first player since Reggie Jackson to go deep five times in a span of three postseason game.