Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Hero Trolls ESPN Reporter After Walk-Off Hit vs. Braves

Nick Castellanos didn't hold back after the Philadelphia Phillies' big win on Sunday Night Baseball.

Tyler Maher

Sep 1, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos celebrates his walk-off single.
Sep 1, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos celebrates his walk-off single. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Phillies kicked off September by battling the Atlanta Braves on Sunday Night Baseball, and the game was an instant classic.

The fourth and final game of the Labor Day Weekend series at Citizens Bank Park between the NL East rivals was a tense pitching duel from beginning to end. The Braves scratched out a pair of runs off Aaron Nola before the Phillies returned the favor against Spencer Schwellenbach with three straight hits in the bottom of the sixth, tying the score at 2-2.

That's the way it stayed until extra innings as both bullpens were lights-out. Philadelphia's bullpen yielded just two hits over five scoreless frames, while Atlanta's relievers didn't surrender a hit until the bottom of the 11th.

Unfortunately for the Braves, that hit ended the game. With two outs and runners on second and third, Nick Castellanos greeted reliever Grant Holmes with a sizzling single back through the box, giving the Phillies a walk-off 3-2 win.

After celebrating with his teammates, Castellanos had to do the customary post-game interview with ESPN's SportsCenter crew, and he did not appreciate the banal questions.

Host Nicole Briscoe led off the interview by asking, "What did you see on that pitch that allowed you to be, you know, the guy who was mobbed on the field there?"

Castellanos, who was looking at the wrong camera, paused for a second before tersely replying, "Four-seam fastball."

"And how did it work for you?" Briscoe asked.

Castellanos paused again before motioning to the field. "I mean, you saw the game, right? You see the highlight?"

"I did see the highlight," Briscoe responded before continuing with the interview. Fortunately for her, Castellanos at least attempted to answer the rest of her questions.

Moral of the story: don't throw Castellanos a four-seam fastball with the game on the line, and don't ask him dumb interview questions on live TV.

Published
Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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