Despite Shortcomings, Nick Castellanos was Key in Phillies Game 1 Win

Even though he stranded the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Nick Castellanos was an essential piece in the Philadelphia Phillies win in Game 1 of the World Series.

Author:
Alex Carr
Oct 29, 2022 7:00 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

When Philadelphia Phillies fans look back on Game 1 of the 2022 World Series, they're likely to remember it for the many twists and turns that charged their team's remarkable comeback from a 5-0 deficit, led by J.T. Realmuto.

However, one member of the team that likely won't get their fair share of the spotlight in hindsight is outfielder Nick Castellanos, who was arguably the most important player to don a Phillies uniform on Friday night.

What was an integral performance was overshadowed by one dull moment: Castellanos stepped to the plate after Bryce Harper walked to load the bases in the seventh inning, and came face-to-face with former Phillie Héctor Neris. He subsequently struck out non-competitively on five pitches. It was, admittedly, a dreadful at-bat. Neris didn't have to throw a single pitch within the confines of the strikezone.

And yet, were it not for Castellanos, the Philadelphia Phillies most likely would've fallen short of what was a crucial Game 1 victory.

It was easily overlooked that Nick Castellanos' well-placed single in the top of the fourth inning was the hit that sparked the entirety of the Phillies' rally against the Houston Astros.

Without that key hit, the Phillies reach three outs in the inning, and fail to capitalize with runners on first and third. Alec Bohm doesn't get to come up to the plate and swat a two-run double. The Phillies lose any and all momentum they would have gained, and enter the fifth inning down by five instead of two. The game ends after the top of the ninth.

In that same vein, Castellanos went on to save the ballgame in the bottom of the ninth with a brilliant sliding catch in right field, his second such catch in the 2022 postseason.

Were this bloop off the bat of Jeremy Peña to land, it would've sealed the Phillies' fate. Another instance in which Friday's thrilling victory instead morphs into a soul-crushing loss.

It was all thanks to Nick Castellanos.

Obviously, there were other major contributing factors to the Phillies' victory: Rob Thomson's utter brilliance in the managerial chair, a career night for the Phillies' bullpen, Alec Bohm's aforementioned double and outstanding glove, the list goes on.

But, with the weight of one-hundred million dollars worth of expectation on his shoulders, Nick Castellanos managed to produce two of the most pivotal moments of the Phillies first World Series Game win in 13 years.

Credit where it's due, the Phillies probably don't win that game without number eight.