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ATLANTA — Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos known as the postseason a “contemporary begin” for him after serving to his crew to a 7-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Sport 1 of the Nationwide League Division Sequence on Tuesday.
Castellanos, 30, had three hits and three runs pushed in, plus a ninth-inning, diving catch in proper subject to assist seal the win for the visiting crew.
“It is form of only a contemporary begin, a clear slate, so to talk,” Castellanos mentioned after the sport. “And clearly these video games are actually intense. For me, that helps me lock in and form of gradual issues down. It is simply a whole lot of enjoyable.
“Baseball is absolutely, actually enjoyable.”
That won’t have been the case for the veteran for a lot of the common season, as his numbers have been nicely beneath his profession averages. He compiled an OPS-plus of simply 95, the bottom of his 10-year profession.
“The one factor that every one of us on this room share in widespread is we need to contribute to the membership as a lot as we will each evening,” teammate Rhys Hoskins mentioned. “Once you’re not doing that it wears on you.
“The factor I have been impressed with is he is the identical man. He is available in, will get his work in, and off he goes within the sport. It is superior to see him have success right this moment.”
Castellanos signed a five-year, $100 million cope with Philadelphia within the offseason, struggled, then received damage late within the 12 months. He returned for the ultimate 9 video games of the common season whereas producing an OPS of simply .536.
Going 0-for-7 within the wild-card spherical did not assist issues, however that every one modified on Tuesday. Castellanos had an RBI single within the first inning, a double within the third, then a two-run single within the fourth, turning into the primary Phillies participant with a 3-hit, 3-RBI sport within the postseason since Jayson Werth within the 2009 NLCS.
“Right now (my swing) felt nice, and that is the one factor actually that I am centered on after which on the point of go and ensure it feels nice once more tomorrow,” Castellanos mentioned.
Not identified for his protection, he capped off his stellar day with a diving catch at a very powerful second within the sport.
The Braves had simply narrowed their deficit to at least one run on a Matt Olson three-run homer within the ninth earlier than Castellanos sprinted in on a line drive off the bat of William Contreras. He laid out for it, snaring the ball simply earlier than it hit the grass.
He was requested if he was joyful or simply relieved as he lay on the bottom afterward.
“All of the above,” he answered with a smile. “Simply trying (up), like, thank God I caught that ball. They clearly had a giant level within the sport proper there with placing them inside one. So to have the ability to catch that and have two outs and no one on was big.”
Hoskins added: “I used to be screaming at him, ‘C’mon, c’mon, keep up.’ You possibly can really feel momentum proper there. They’d it after the homer. To get the following man out is large.”
Castellanos’ first two hits got here off Braves starter Max Fried, who lasted solely 3⅓ innings whereas giving up six runs, 4 of them earned — although he made the error permitting the opposite two to attain.
Fried’s velocity was down a tick and his stuff wasn’t nice. It led to questions on his well being, as Fried was recovering from an sickness over the ultimate week of the common season. He downplayed it.
“It stayed with me for longer than we have been anticipating,” Fried advised reporters. “It is a kind of stuff you simply should battle.
“I am not going to make any excuses. I took the ball right this moment and put us in a giant gap, proper off the bat.”
Braves supervisor Brian Snitker observed one thing was off with Fried, who left a sport early in opposition to the New York Mets in late September.
“I requested him after the fourth, when he got here off,” Snitker mentioned. “He went down and he was mad and all the things. I simply needed to verify he was OK bodily. And he simply form of wasn’t firing right this moment.
“He had the flu, the final sport he pitched in opposition to the Mets. However he is been doing all the things, throwing his sides. Did all of the drills, did all the things. Simply did not occur for him right this moment.”
And so the Phillies took benefit, led by one in every of their quiet stars who was coming off a quiet common season. Maybe the tide is popping for his or her right-fielder after serving to his crew to a mid-October win.
“I am unable to clarify (the postseason),” Castellanos mentioned. “It is a kind of issues that the air is completely different, the ambiance is completely different. And people are all issues that I actually get pleasure from.”
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