Phillies Nick Castellanos' Comments a Chilling Testimony of Team's Consistent Postseason Failures

With the Phillies on the brink of elimination at the hands of the Dodgers, Castellanos' comments only reinforce a worrying team-wide mentality

Oct 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos (8) hits a two-run double against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning during game two of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Philadelphia's playoff atmosphere has been regarded as one of MLB's most feared environments, but the Phillies' recent performances have left Citizens Bank Park resembling a ghost town.

Facing early elimination once again, the allure of "Red October" is losing its luster. The Bank was viewed as a beacon of near-immortality throughout the 2022 run and most of 2023, but the Phillies have now lost five of their last six home contests in the postseason.

Philadelphia Inquirer writer David Murphy reported on Nick Castellanos' comments following their failed ninth-inning comeback attempt, and, per usual, his statement was far from the fanbase's desires.

Nick Castellanos says Red October is a double-edged sword: ‘The environment can be against us’ https://t.co/8UB4YOL03N

— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) October 7, 2025

His description of the high-stakes condition the Philadelphia faithful create at their home stadium as somewhat of a looming, fear-inducing situation is a concerning sign of the team's mentality. The Phillies haven't exactly given their fans much to cheer about in their latest October matchups, justifying their increasing frustrations with the team.

Once a team starts to see its fanbase as anything other than fully behind them, performance issues are bound to follow.

Structure of the Phillies' Spiral

It's nearly impossible to label the Phillies as anything other than one of MLB's most successful franchises through the first half of the 2020s.

With that being said, it's difficult not to draw parallels between the club and its crosstown NBA counterpart, the Philadelphia 76ers. A history of recent playoff meltdowns catalyzed by highly-paid star players performing far below expectations in the season's biggest moments has defined the Sixers franchise for years, and the Phillies find themselves approaching a similar territory.

Phillies drop first 2 NLDS games at home

Schwarber/Harper: 1-14, 8 K

Phillies now 2-9 in their last 11 playoff games. pic.twitter.com/ZOU4cGsUpG

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) October 7, 2025

The grittiness and viciousness that the scrappy 2022 Phillies team exuded during their Cinderella run that had them two games from a World Series title are entirely absent from the club's current makeup. The star power that Bryce Harper and Castellanos displayed and the sparkplug nature that Jean Segura and then-rookie Bryson Stott added were driving forces in the team's first playoff run since 2011.

Examining the current roster, those essential aspects are nonexistent, at least from an outside perspective. The emotion is no longer present, the quotes following losses repetitive and meaningless, and October itself seems to be viewed by the franchise as a required business trip rather than a thrilling rollercoaster ride.

With time once again running out on the Phillies' season, the cycle of eternally rising hope followed by persistent despair is on the doorstep of being completed for a fourth consecutive year. Unless massive changes occur in the 48 hours following their Game 2 loss, it's an incredibly uphill climb for Philadelphia to extend its season.

Game 3 is scheduled for 9:08 PM EST in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 8th, with lifetime Phillie Aaron Nola representing the club's last line of defense against the reigning champions.