Nick Castellanos crushes Grand Slam, Phillies beat Dodgers in comeback thriller to win the series

Eight runs, a grand slam, a seesaw seventh inning and a series win over the reigning champs.

Nick Castellanos turned Citizens Bank Park into a powder keg with a third-inning grand slam, and the Phillies held on late to take down the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-7, in a wild, back-and-forth win that secured a massive early-season series victory over the defending World Series champions.

WATCH: Castellanos shuts up the Dodgers with an electric Grand Slam at Citizens Bank Park

The Momentum Swing

We’ll start where everyone in red lost their minds — Nick Castellanos, first pitch from Alex Vesia, 88 mph fastball, see ya. His eighth career grand slam broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Phillies a 6-2 lead. It was vintage Castellanos — aggressive, decisive, and absolutely nuked to left.

Nick Castellanos didn’t even watch it land. He knew.

NICK CASTELLANOS. RING IT. #RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/B0sBKJNW4e

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) April 6, 2025

The Teoscar Problem

The Dodgers didn’t go away quietly, and Teoscar Hernández made it his personal mission to keep them alive. He went deep in the first and again in the fourth — his 19th career multi-homer game — and racked up five RBIs on the day.

His bat helped LA rally to a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh, capped by a Will Smith double off the wall. The Phillies’ bullpen, for a minute, looked like it might unravel.

But then came the response. It started with Bryce Harper, who led off the bottom of the seventh with a scorched line drive to center. Rookie Andy Pages misplayed it into a leadoff double, and the Phillies smelled blood.

Bryson Stott came through with a clutch RBI single to tie it at 7. Then Edmundo Sosa hustled down the line to break up a potential double play, beating the throw by inches and driving in the go-ahead run.

Back on top thanks to Edmundo movin' up the line 💨 pic.twitter.com/CujAAMruPc

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 6, 2025

That’s winning baseball. Aggressive baserunning. Timely contact. Hustle over everything.

Orion Kerkering earned the win, and José Alvarado shut it down in the ninth for his second save, ending a game that had all the juice of a late-summer showdown — except it’s only April.

The Phillies improve to 7-2, while the Dodgers fall to 8-2 — with both of those losses coming in Philadelphia.

Key Stat

Shohei Ohtani? 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts against starter Cristopher Sánchez. Filthy stuff from the lefty, who gave Philly five strong innings.

It’s true, you know. #RingTheBell | #Phillies https://t.co/75JQ1H6tlK

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) April 6, 2025

Statement Made

Look, nobody’s handing out trophies in April — but that felt damn good. The Phillies just took two of three from the team everyone expects to win the NL. They outslugged the deepest lineup in baseball, held Ohtani in check, and got timely bullpen outs when it mattered.

Next up for the Phillies: Zack Wheeler vs. Chris Sale in Atlanta.

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