Slumping Phillies Veteran Gets Emotional After Game-Winning Hit

Philadelphia Phillies veteran Nick Castellanos gave a heartfelt interview after his walk-off hit.

Jun 4, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates with teammates. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

While the Philadelphia Phillies have been winning nearly every day and enjoying the best record in baseball, Nick Castellanos often seems like the only guy who wasn't invited to the party. He's one of the few Phillies who's been struggling, enduring the worst season of his 12-year career.

The two-time All-Star just hasn't been himself in the batter's box, perhaps starting to slow down at the age of 32. Despite a recent hot streak, he still entered Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers batting a paltry .212/.271/.338 -- all career-lows. He has more strikeouts than hits and has been caught stealing more times than he's been successful.

In other words, not much has gone right for Castellanos this year.

On Tuesday night, however, that finally changed. With the score tied at 1-1 and runners on first and second, Castellanos stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with nobody out and the chance to be the hero.

Castellanos didn't disappoint, ripping a game-winning double to right field off Joel Payamps and sending the 40,632 fans at Citizens Bank Park into a frenzy.

During Castellanos' postgame interview, teammates Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott showered him with a nasty concoction of water, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and other unknown substances.

"This is by far the best team that I've ever been on and I'm really enjoying it."

Castellanos is loving his Phillies and loving the special concoction that was made for his game-winning hit. 🥰 😂 pic.twitter.com/5laF5i6NZi

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) June 5, 2024

Soaking wet but unfazed, the veteran outfielder continued with his interview, even getting a bit emotional when speaking about his teammates.

"It's just great all-around, honestly," Castellanos said. "This is by far the best team I've ever been on and I'm really enjoying it."

That means a lot coming from Castellanos, who played on some stacked Detroit Tigers teams with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Miguel Cabrera early in his career. He also played for a talented Chicago Cubs team in 2019 as well as the last two Phillies squads, both of which went deep into the postseason.

Castellanos' individual performance may not be where he wants it to be, but winning is a great cure-all. It's hard to get too down in the dumps when you're winning on a nightly basis.

Perhaps Castellanos' big hit will be the spark he needs to help him finally get going at the plate. He's now hit safely in six of his last seven games, raising his average above the Mendoza Line to .214. If he gets hot and starts playing up to his potential, Philadelphia's potent lineup will be even more dangerous.