Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Castellanos plays hero, Stott gets go-ahead hit as Phillies beat Braves in extras

Nick Castellanos hit two homers in Atlanta. (John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

September has been a struggle for Nick Castellanos, but he was a late-season hero in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon. The All-Star outfielder clubbed two home runs while making a spectacular defensive play to fend off a Braves comeback.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie game, the right fielder Castellanos caught a fly ball in foul territory and fired a spinning throw to home to get the runner from third and send it to extra innings. That set up Bryson Stott to hit a go-ahead two-run double in the 10th.

Matt Strahm allowed the automatic runner to score but clinched the save and a 6-5 victory to earn a series win in this three-game set at Truist Park, a potential National League Division Series preview between the NL-best Braves and Philadelphia, the top team in the league’s wild-card standings.

Right-hander Aaron Nola was solid in spite of his previous September struggles, and Castellanos launched two homers for the Phillies, leading the charge for their offense. The Phillies led 4-0 at one point before Atlanta came storming back.

After Alec Bohm put the Phillies on the board with an RBI single in the top of the first, Castellanos go his show started as he launched a solo shot just to the left of center field. And with a runner on in the fourth inning, Castellanos went the other way for a two-run homer, helping chase starter Bryce Elder, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings.

Nola allowed two RBI singles in his outing. but was effective over six innings, handing the bullpen a 4-2 lead. But the Braves tied it in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Austin Riley and an RBI double by Marcell Ozuna.

Atlanta seriously threated in the ninth, but Castellanos — no stranger to ninth-inning defensive heroics in this ballpark — threw out former Phillie Luke Williams at the plate to prevent the sacrifice fly and keep the game alive.

In the top of the 10th, Stott came up with the bases loaded and delivered with a double the opposite way to put Philadelphia up, 6-4. Strahm let up a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning before shutting things down to send the Phillies back home with a big series win against a rival.

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