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
It seems every time Nick Castellanos comes to bat, something eventful is bound to happen.
The Phillies star was ejected from his team’s 15-3 drubbing of the Marlins on Monday night when he appeared to take issue with home plate umpire John Libka’s third-strike call against him.
Facing an 0-2 count in the bottom of the seventh inning with runners on the corners, Miami reliever Devin Smeltzer threw a pitch that appeared to be high and tight, and was shown as a ball on the broadcast’s virtual strike zone.
Libka, however, called it strike three, and Castellanos was not happy.
The outfielder appeared to draw a line in the dirt with his bat to demonstrate to Libka where the pitch crossed the batter’s box.
Apparently unhappy with being shown up, the umpire immediately ejected Castellanos as he walked back to the dugout.
The Phillies were up 14-3 at the time.
Castellanos was in the middle of a monster game, going 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBIs before his ejection.
So far on the season, the 31-year-old is 10-for-36 with a .853 OPS.
The Phillies got off to a 0-4 start this season, but have since “rallied” to 4-6 after taking two of three games from the Reds and winning the opener against the Marlins.
Castellanos, who has also played for the Tigers, Cubs and Reds, was at the center at one of the most infamous moments in recent MLB history in 2020.
Thom Brennaman, who previously was the lead announcer for the Reds, had been caught on a hot mic using a homophobic slur before the game started, and had begun to apologize in a long monologue live on the broadcast as Castellanos came up to bat.
Castellanos then hit a home run in the middle of his apology, with Brennaman interrupting his soliloquy to announce it.
“I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith – as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run. And so that will make it a 4–0 ballgame. I don’t know if I’m gonna be putting on this headset again,” the now-disgraced announcer said in a famous quote that has been memed into oblivion.
Castellanos signed a five-year, $100 million deal with Philadelphia as a free agent in the 2022 offseason.