PHILADELPHIA — As is often the case, Bryce Harper showed the Philadelphia Phillies a path to victory Sunday. But it was the oft-criticized Nick Castellanos who took the Phillies over the finish line.
Castellanos singled home the decisive run in the bottom of the ninth, lifting Philadelphia over the New York Mets 7-6 in Game 2 of their National League Division Series.
Castellanos, who went 3-for-5 with a homer, lined a 1-2 offering from reliever Tylor Megill (0-1) into left, scoring Trea Turner and ending a game that saw 11 runs scored over the last four innings.
At one point the Mets led 3-0, only to see the Phillies tie it on back-to-back homers by Harper and Castellanos in the sixth. New York edged in front 4-3 on Brandon Nimmo’s solo homer the following inning, but Philadelphia pushed across three runs in the bottom of the eighth — two on Bryson Stott’s triple — to go up 6-4.
Mark Vientos tied it once more with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, his second homer of the game.
Turner and Harper walked with two outs in the bottom of the inning, setting the stage for Castellanos and enabling the Phillies to tie the best-of-five series at one game apiece. The next two games will be played Tuesday and Wednesday in New York.
Castellanos has drawn the fans’ ire for his undisciplined approach at the plate since arriving in Philadelphia as a free agent in March 2022, and was booed after going hitless in his first two at-bats Sunday.
“I was just frustrated,” he said, “so I locked in more.”
He called the feeling after his walk-off hit “the best,” and said it will endure “even when I’m old and no one cares about me as a baseball player.”
Phils manager Rob Thomson said Castellanos cares deeply about his craft, that he puts in extra time every day.
“He’s just a workhorse,” Thomson said. “I’m so happy for him. He’s just been grinding all year.”
Harper awakened the Phillies, who after losing Game 1 on Saturday were blanked over the first five innings by Mets starter Luis Severino. Down 3-0, Turner singled with two outs in the sixth, and Harper sent Severino’s 99 mph fastball soaring over the center field wall, a majestic 431-foot blast.
“That got everybody going,” Thomson said. “Our at-bats got a lot better.”
Castellanos followed with a solo homer to left, knotting the score at 3-3.
Nimmo’s solo shot in the seventh set the stage for another comeback in the eighth.
Harper drew a one-out walk from Mets reliever Edwin Diaz, then advanced to third on a single by Castellanos. Stott tripled home both runners, then scored on J.T. Realmuto’s fielder’s choice to make it 6-4.
But in the top of the ninth, Vientos, who went 3-for-4, struck again. His two-run homer off Matt Strahm tied it one last time.
“He’s controlling the strike zone,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Vientos. “He’s just calm and aware of the situation. Impressive.”
Vientos and Pete Alonso hit respective homers in the third and sixth for New York, both opposite-field shots by the right-handed sluggers. Vientos’ homer came after a single by Francisco Lindor, and Alonso led off the sixth with his blast.
Philadelphia starter Cristopher Sanchez went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked one.
Jeff Hoffman (1-1) recorded one out for the victory.
“It was a great game,” Mendoza said, “and we expect it to be this way moving forward.”
No one doubts that, least of all Thomson.
“This,” he said, “is shaping up to be a classic battle.”