Castellanos did not forget — Phillies clinch NLCS for second straight season
About a month after overlooking the Atlanta Braves celebrate their latest division title at Citizens Bank Park from the top step of the dugout, Nick Castellanos did not forget what he observed.
And thanks to Castellanos and company, the Phillies have sent the Braves home early again. They have ended the Braves’ year in the NLDS, just as they did a year ago. Two years in a row, the Braves finished 14 games better than the Phillies, and it meant nothing in the end both times.
The NL East was never competitive as the Braves took the division lead on April 1 and kept it for the whole season. But the Phillies are built for the October.
They beat the Braves 3-1 Thursday night to head back to the NLCS, where they will have home-field advantage against the six-seed Arizona Diamondbacks.
The 2023 Braves had one of the best offenses in baseball history, setting the major-league record with a .501 slugging percentage and tying the record with 307 home runs. The Phillies held them to three homers in four games. The Braves scored 146 runs in the first inning. They did not score a single run in the first inning of the NLDS. They did not completely dominate the Braves, but the Phillies controlled the NLDS from start to finish.
Castellanos homered twice in Game 4, like he did in Game 3. However, in Game 4 he faced MLB strikeout leader Spencer Strider who wants the fans to be quiet.
The Phillies hit three balls out of the yard off of Strider with two from Castellanos and one from Trea Turner, and beat him twice in the series. Castellanos is the first player in MLB history to hit multiple home runs in back-to-back postseason games.
Turner went 4-for-4 Thursday, becoming the first player in Phillies history with four hits in a postseason game. He was a triple-shy of the cycle.
Ranger Suarez got the start turned and produced another decisive postseason performance, allowing a run over five innings.
The Braves had multiple chances to come back in this game.
In the seventh, Jose Alvarado walked two with two outs and Craig Kimbrel loaded the bases. With assumably 2023 MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. at the plate and the go-ahead run at first base, Kimbrel allowed a line drive to left-center field. Rookie Johan Rojas tracked it down, leaped, and made the potentially season-saving catch.
Rojas made his debut on July 15 and is establishing himself as an all-time defender in center field. He proved it in Game 4 of the NLDS.
After using Seranthony Dominguez, Alvarado, and Kimbrel, manager Rob Thomson got crafty with trying to get Gregory Soto through the ninth inning against right-handed hitters. It did not go well. He put runners on the corners with nobody out and was relieved by Matt Strahm.
Three easy outs later, the Phillies celebrated on their home turf, again. With Dancing On My Own blaring, the Phillies completed their one goal, not to go back to Atlanta in 2023.
The NLCS begins Monday at 8:07 p.m. EDT at Citizens Bank Park. Beating the Braves in four games rather than five means the Phillies’ ace, Zack Wheeler, will be on the mound in Game 1 against the Diamondbacks.
But for the next few days, let us sit back, relax, and mentally prepare ourselves for the next few weeks because we are in for a ride.
Eight more wins.
