Of all the days that Nick Castellanos hit a home run, it seemed Sunday was all too appropriate for him.
Castellanos hit a no-doubt blast in the top of the ninth against the Pirates to extend the Phillies’ lead to 6-0 just hours after President Joe Biden announced he would drop out of the presidential race and not seek reelection, continuing an odd tradition where the outfielder hits home runs at the oddest times, such as the same day as historical events or notable moments taking place in the broadcast booth.
The ninth-inning home run went 409 feet with an exit velocity of 104.3 mph, and the Phillies trounced the Pirates, 6-0, to prevent Pittsburgh from completing the series sweep.
The Phillies outfielder hit a two-run homer on July 13 just hours before the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
A few weeks prior to that, Castellanos hit a game-winning home run on the same night that the sports world mourned the passing of baseball legend Willie Mays.
One of the most famous moments came back in 2020 when Castellanos hit a home run in the middle of broadcaster Thom Brennaman’s apology after getting caught on a hot mic using a homophobic slur.
hitting a double during the fourth inning. AP
In the middle of the apology, Castellanos hit “a deep drive into left field,” with that phrase becoming a part of the pop culture lexicon.
In another strange turn of events, Brennaman revealed to The Athletic on Sunday that he was returning to broadcasting as part of the CW’s college football coverage.
“There are no words to describe how grateful I am that they’re rolling the dice,” Brennaman told the outlet. “They don’t have to do this.”
His first game on the network will be on Aug. 31, and it will be a game between Oregon State and Idaho State.