LISTEN: John Kruk’s hilarious reaction to Nick Castellanos’ game-saving play at the plate

The Philadelphia Phillies won 2 of 3 games against the Braves in Atlanta this week, highlighted by a thrilling 6-5 win in extra innings yesterday afternoon.

Nick Castellanos went 2-for-5 from the plate with two home runs and three RBI in the Phillies’ win, while also gunning down pinch-runner Luke Williams at the plate to send the game into extra-innings.

On the NBC Broadcast, John Kruk was riding a rollercoaster of emotions during the Castellanos play at the plate. Make sure you have the sound on for this one.

John Kruk Rollercoaster of Emotions During Nick Castellanos Play vs Braves

John Kruk during Castellanos’ game-saving play in the 9th: “Let it go! Let it go! Let it go!” “NOOOO” “Yes!” “YEAHHHH”

I gotta be honest, I know everyone was screaming at their televisions just like Kruk hoping that Nick Castellanos would let the ball just drop to the ground foul with a man on third base that was almost certainly going to be heading home looking to win the ball game for the Braves but that was not what I was thinking at all. 

I was screaming at my computer screen at work for Castellanos catch it and throw the ball home. There’s absolutely zero chance you want to give the Braves another shot at the plate. Get the out, turn and fire home, and hopefully there’s a good throw and play at the plate to send the game into extras. 

At the end of the day, I’m just happy everything worked out in Castellanos and the Phillies favor. There was no way I could possibly listen to Philly Sports Talk Radio overreact to catching that foul ball if the Phillies ended up losing that game in the bottom of the ninth.

Luckily, we’ll never know how that nightmare could have unfolded.

Following the game, Castellanos told reporters that he was going to let the ball drop until at the very last moment, a voice inside of his head told him to catch it. Castellanos explained that the voice is typically something he hears when he’s hitting but it arrived at the perfect time on the play. 

He then told Matt Gelb that the voice inside his head is “evil.”

Luckily, I had the same thought as the “evil” voice inside of Nick Castellanos’ head that told him to catch the foul ball and gun down Luke Williams at home. 

On the season, Castellanos is batting .272 with 27 home runs and 99 RBI. Over his last 7 games, he’s batting .320 with four home runs and 9 RBI. Batting in out of the 8th hole, Castellanos is hitting .364 with five RBI. In the 7th hole, he’s batting .261 with 3 home runs and 4 RBI. 

Nick Castellanos Home Run 1

Nick Castellanos Home Run 2

Castellanos dominated in all aspects of the rubber match and continues to be a thorn in the side of the Braves at Truist Park. We all remember the sliding catch he made during last year’s NLDS win on the road and yesterday, he handed the Phillies a much needed series win in Atlanta.

Phillies Hunt for Red October

The Phillies lost the season series against the Atlanta Braves 8-5, but if you remember how close some of those games were and how easily the Phillies could have walked away with at least three wins, you know damn well that a potential matchup in the NLDS would be nothing short of incredible.

Of course, there are still 10 games left in the regular season. The Phillies magic number to clinch a playoff berth sits at 6 games, with the magic number to clinch the top NL Wild Card spot at 7 games.

The Fightins still hold a 2.5 game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the top spot in the National League Wild Card, with the Cubs, Marlins, Reds, and Giants all fighting for what is currently the last ticket to the postseason.

The Phillies will now return to Citizens Bank Park for the final home stand of the 2023 regular season. They will face the New York Mets (4) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (3) before closing things out on the road against the Mets.

Games Remaining: vs. NYM (4), vs. PIT (3), at NYM (3)