There is a time and a place for it.
After helping his team to a win over the Atlanta Braves in the first game of the National League Division Series, Philadelphia outfielder Nick Castellanos said the playoffs were a "fresh start" for him.
Castellanos made a diving catch in the ninth to help seal the victory for the visiting team.
Castellanos said after the game that it was a new start. These games are very competitive. That helps me slow things down a bit. A lot of fun.
Baseball is a great sport.
That may not have been the case for the veteran for the majority of the season, as his numbers were not up to par. The lowest OPS-plus of his 10-year career was achieved by him.
All of us in this room share the same goal, which is to contribute as much as we can to the club. It wears on you when you don't do that.
He's the same guy. He comes in and gets his work done. It's great to see him have a successful day.
Castellanos got hurt late in the year after signing a five-year, $100 million contract with Philadelphia. He returned for the last nine games of the regular season and produced an OPS of.536.
The 0-for-7 in the wild-card round didn't help matters. Castellanos had three hits, including a two-run single in the fourth, becoming the first Philadelphia player with a three-hit, three-RBI game in the playoffs in five years.
Castellanos said that he was focused on his swing and getting ready to hit again tomorrow.
He ended his day with a diving catch at the most important moment in the game.
Castellanos sprinted in on a line drive off the bat of William Contreras in the ninth as the Braves narrowed their deficit to one run. He grabbed the ball before it hit the ground.
He was asked if he was happy after he fell down.
He replied with a smile. Thank God I caught that ball. They had a huge point in the game when they put them within one. It was huge to be able to catch that and not have anyone on.
"I yelled at him, 'C'mon, c'mon, stay up,'" he said. Right there, you could feel the strength. After the home run, they had it. It's important to get the next guy out.
Castellanos' first two hits came off Braves starter Max Fried, who lasted only 313 and gave up six runs, four of them earned, though he made the error that allowed the other two to score.
Fried's stuff was not great. Fried was recovering from an illness during the last week of the season, leading to questions about his health. He didn't say much about it.
| First 4 Starts | Tuesday | |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 23 | 3 1/3* |
| ERA | 2.74 | 5.40 |
| K-BB | 23-2 | 2-1 |
| Braves W-L | 4-0 | Lose 7-6 |
| *Shortest start of postseason career | ||
| -- ESPN Stats & Information |
Fried told reporters that it stayed with him for a long time. You just have to fight it.
I won't make any excuses. I put them in a big hole with the ball.
Braves manager Brian Snitker noticed something wasn't right with Fried, who left a game early against the Mets.
Snitker asked him after the fourth. He went down and he was angry and upset. I wanted to make sure he was okay. He wasn't going to be fired today.
The last time he pitched, he had the flu. He has been doing everything. All the drills were done. Today didn't work out for him.
One of their quiet stars came off a quiet regular season to lead the way. The right fielder helped his team to a win in October.
Castellanos couldn't explain the playoffs. The atmosphere is different and the air is different. Those are things that I like to do.
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