Sep 11, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) makes a running catch behind second base Bryson Stott (5) on the pop up of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Junior Caminero (13) during the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA - When Liam Castellanos is in town to hang with his dad, he can often be found around the batting cage for an afternoon session long before the Phillies on-field warmups are slated to begin.
It's something Nick Castellanos and his son started doing in May, and when the elder Castellanos started seeing the benefit of the early sessions, he continued them throughout the summer, even when Liam was back home in Miami.
On Wednesday, with Liam in town, the father-son duo were well into their routine again when somebody interrupted their session.
It was Rays' manager Kevin Cash.
Cash wasn't going to be in the dugout for Tampa Bay Wednesday night. Major League Baseball had suspended him for a game and pitcher Edwin Uceta for three games (later reduced to two games) for intentionally throwing at Castellanos in the eighth inning Tuesday night.
But he wanted to make sure he had a chance to speak to Castellanos about what happened, so he sought him out as soon as he knew the Phillies right fielder would be on the field.
The two had a good conversation.
"Cash came over to me while I was hitting early with Liam and apologized for it," Castellanos said. "(He) said all the right things and was sincere about it. I think that it's awesome that they recognize that there was foul play. ... I have respect for Cash for being honest and (standing) up. There's a right way to play the game and a wrong way to play the game and just admitting that is all I could ask for."
Nick Castellanos says Kevin Cash apologized to him before tonight’s game and he appreciated it. @OnPattison @PhilliesNation pic.twitter.com/eonDVPNFMi
It was a classy move. But it didn't slow Castellanos down from inducing damage on the Rays come Wednesday night.
Castellanos homered in his first at bat, drew a two-out walk and scored the winning run in hi penultimate plate appearance, made a lunging catch in right field to prevent the tying run from reaching base in the top of the eighth, and then, for good measure, was plunked again in the bottom of the eighth, but politely jogged to first base without any outward emotion.
It all was a big part of a 3-2 win for the Phillies, who swept the Rays and trimmed their magic number to win their first N.L. East crown since 2011 down to nine.
Nick Castellanos home run pic.twitter.com/dUdl3kE7M4
Weston Wilson drove in the game-winning run, marking the third straight game that the winning run was driven in by a reserve player who was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
In this series the Phillies got a walk off hit by Kody Clemens, a tiebreaking, pinch hit double by Cal Stevenson, the game-winning fister down the third base line by WIlson on Wednesday and important contributions from Buddy Kennedy in the first two games (A walk to set up Clemens heroics and an RBI single) and not one, not two but three excellent defensive plays by fourth-string catcher Aramis Ramirez, most notably throwing out the tying run trying to steal second base in the ninth inning.
Aramis Garcia, the best 4th string catcher in baseball! pic.twitter.com/NAiCOXz4ej
“I think it’s a testament to how we take care of business down there,” Wilson said. “(The Phillies) putting trust in guys to come up in big situations has helped guys flourish in those opportunities.”
The Phillies are flourishing as a team right now. Almost everything has been going their way. They ae 14-4 in their last 18 games and have reached 30 games over .500 for the first time all season. Three of those four losses have come in games started by either Taijuan Walker, Tyler Phillips or Seth Johnson. Walker is the long man in the bullpen these days while Phillips and Johnson are back in Triple-A.
The Phillies are off on Thursday but resume play Friday in their penultimate home series of the season when they face the New York Mets for the first time since the London series in June.
