Kimbrel picks up save, Castellanos plays center field as NL wins All-Star Game
Final Score: National League 3, American League 2
Nick Castellanos has certainly had an interesting start to his Phillies career. The veteran outfielder had one of the more frustrating years of his career in 2022 after signing a five-year, $100 million contract before the season. But after settling into his new environment during this past offseason and spring training, Castellanos is off to a great start in his second season in red pinstripes.
He’s arguably been Philadelphia’s best hitter so far this year and is slashing .301/.344/.496 with 26 doubles and 13 home run — good enough to earn a spot in this year’s All-Star Game.
The now two-time All-Star was joined by his manager, Rob Thomson, along with the rest of the Phillies big league coaching staff, and teammate Craig Kimbrel in Seattle as they all represented the National League in the 2023 Midsummer Classic.
Castellanos, who said yesterday he would play some center field tonight, entered the game in center in the bottom half of the fifth inning. He then stepped up to the plate in the sixth against Orioles reliever Yennier Cano and struck out swinging on four pitches.
Two innings later, with the NL down 2-1, Castellanos was back at the plate. He faced another Orioles reliever in Félix Bautista and worked out a nine-pitch, lead-off walk. During the next at-bat, with Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Díaz up to bat, Castellanos advanced to second on a wild pitch. However, that advancement didn’t really matter as he came around to score on a go-ahead — and eventual game-winning — home run by Díaz:
In the ninth, Castellanos stepped into the batter’s box once again and pulled a first-pitch single into left field off Twins starter Pablo López. It was the first hit in an All-Star Game for Castellanos — he went 0-for-2 in the 2021 Midsummer Classic.
With the game’s score remaining 3-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, Kimbrel was called upon to close things out. The now nine-time All-Star hadn’t picked up a save in his six previous All-Star Game appearances. And after issuing back-to-back walks with two outs in the frame, the veteran right-hander struck out his second batter of the inning to earn the save.
While Thomson didn’t make any game-changing decisions as a manager tonight, he did honor a member of the Phillies family. Prior to the sixth inning, as a part of Major League Baseball’s partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, he stood up for Phillies minor leaguer Corey Phelan, who passed away last October after a battle with cancer:
The NL’s victory tonight snapped the AL’s nine-game winning streak.
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