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76ers Star Reacts to Nick Castellanos’ Game-Winning Hit for Phillies

76ers' Joel Embiid reacted to the Phillies' win on Sunday night.

Justin Grasso

Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates with teammates after defeating the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates with teammates after defeating the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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On the eve of the Philadelphia 76ers’ preseason opener, the Philadelphia Phillies went toe-to-toe with the New York Mets for Game 2 of their MLB Postseason series. Joel Embiid was tuned into the action, soaking up what turned out to be an intense game.

Sunday’s matchup wasn’t a literal do-or-die situation for the Phillies but a loss certainly would’ve destroyed their odds of making it out of the series on top.

In Game 1 on Saturday, the Phillies led by one run for eight innings. Late in the game, the Mets got hot and made them pay for having a quiet hitting night. In the end, the Mets defeated the Phillies 6-2 to take a 1-0 series lead on the road.

Sunday’s Game 2 was a back-and-forth battle, which kept Embiid entertained.

The Mets grabbed the lead in the third inning, going up 2-0 on Philadelphia. It wasn’t until the sixth inning when the Phillies finally got on the board. After trailing 3-0, back-to-back home runs allowed the Phillies to knot the game. That would last half an inning as the Mets scored another one in the seventh.

While trailing 4-3, the Phillies tacked on three runs in the eighth inning, righting their wrongs of the other night. However, that wasn’t enough to put New York away. A two-run homer in the final inning was enough for the Mets to tie the game up before the Phillies’ half of the ninth.

Fortunately, extra innings were not required. Phillies star Nick Castellanos had a walk-off hit, which knocked in a runner to allow the Phillies to win 7-6.

“What A Game!!!” Embiid wrote on X.

The Phillies are going to get a day to travel to New York on Monday. Meanwhile, Embiid and the Sixers are going to head to the Wells Fargo Center for their preseason debut.

The Sixers and the New Zealand Breakers will tip-off at 7 PM ET. on Monday.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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