RING IT: Nick Castellanos, Phillies defeat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS

Drew Smith
October 13, 2023
Phillies
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The Philadelphia Phillies punched their tickets to the National League Championship Series last night, defeating the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in Game 4 of the NLDS.

The Phillies sent Ranger Suarez to the mound last night looking to clinch the NLDS series against the Braves for in four games for the second straight season.

Suarez tossed five solid innings, allowing three hits and one earned run while striking out two.

Ranger now has a 1.16 ERA through the first 23.1 innings pitched of his playoff career and the Phillies are 5-0 in playoff games started by Suarez. They are 7-0 in games where Suarez pitched. I mean come on, that’s just incredible work from the Phillies No. 3 starter who struggled throughout the 2023 regular season.

Nick Castellanos Masterclass

After a rough loss last Monday against Atlanta, Nick Castellanos told reporters that the Phillies “thrive when they are punched in the face.”

In Game 4 last night, the Phillies fell behind in 1-0 after Austin Riley delivered the first punch of the ball game, crushing a solo home run off Ranger Suarez in the top of the fourth inning.

Castellanos immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning, crushing a game-tying solo home run to DEEP left field restoring faith in the hearts of Phillies fans that were jam packed into Citizens Bank Park.

Nick Castellanos Game-Tying Solo Home Run

Nick Castellanos Bat Flip Edit

Trea Turner: Red October

Trea Turner then gave the Phillies the lead on a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

TREA TURNER FOR ALL THINGS HOLY.

RING IT 🔔 #RedOctober | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/9YJPtXGEbu
— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) October 13, 2023

Turner was 4-for-4 from the plate last night with the home run, RBI, and run scored. He batted .471 with eight hits, two home runs, two RBI, and five runs scored during the NLDS.

Trea Turner’s First Postseason with the Phillies

6 games (5-1 record)
26 plate appearances
5 runs
12 hits
4 doubles
2 home runs
3 RBIs
4 stolen bases
2 walks
.500/.539/.917
1.455 OPS

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Castellanos rang the bell yet again, crushing another home run to left field to give the Phillies a much needed insurance run that sealed a 3-1 win and clinched their tickets to the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who they’ll host at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night.

Nick Castellanos Home Run No. 2

Castellanos finished Game 4 going 3-for-3 with two home runs, two RBI, and two runs scored. In Game 3, Castellanos went 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI, and two runs scored. He became the first player in Major League history to hit multiple home runs in back-to-back postseason games.

After struggling in his debut season last year in Philadelphia, everyone was left wondering if the Nick Castellanos we saw in Cincinnati was going to show up for the Phillies. Casty delivered in 2023, being the only position player on the Phillies to make the All-Star Game while batting .272 with 29 home runs and 106 RBI during the regular season.