Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos combine for epic 9th-inning comeback, Phillies win 3-1
The Phillies came back against the Marlins, and two key guys at the top of the lineup delivered in the 9th inning. Bryce Harper drove in a run with an opposite-field double, and Nick Castellanos followed it up with a two-run shot to deep left field to take the lead.
Back-to-back at-bats from Harper and Castellanos brought this Phillies team back from the brink of defeat:
What an absolutely massive outing from both guys. Castellanos, however, desperately needed a performance like this after a brutal July, in which he batted .162 with 16 hits, 4 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 5 runs scored in 24 GAMES.
Before the All-Star break, Castellanos slashed .301/.344/.496 with a .840 OPS. He had 26 doubles, 13 home runs, a triple, and 55 RBI. Needless to say, he was ready to wipe the slate clean and get back to numbers like those.
Tonight, on the first day of August, after a trade deadline where the Phillies didn’t add any key offensive weapons to help them over the final 2 months of the regular season, Castellanos delivered when the Phillies needed him most. And by God, was it glorious.
Sure, he homered off of notoriously ass pitcher Dave Robertson, but it was a towering shot that both he and the team desperately needed. It had to be pretty demoralizing for Robertson, who had to conduct his post-game press conference from the Shadow Realm courtesy of Casty.
