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There’s never really a bad time to hit a home run when you’re an MLB player, but Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos has an inadvertent knack for knocking the ball out of the park when broadcasters are discussing some heavy topics on television—and he struck yet again during Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies.
This trend can be traced back to 2020 when the outfielder was still a member of the Reds. Now-former Cincinnati play-by-play man Thom Brenneman was forced to issue an apology after a hot mic caught him uttering a homophobic slur, but his attempt to make amends was derailed when Castellanos hit a drive into deep left field for a home run to make it a 4-0 ballgame.
Castellanos struck again the following year when he went deep during a tribute to a deceased veteran and did the same thing during a Memorial Day segment in 2022. He also has a tendency to have some big offensive days in the wake of the death of a notable name, as evidenced by his performance following the passing of Angela Lansbury as well as the legendary Vin Scully.
On Wednesday night, the folks at SportsNet provided viewers with an update on the health of former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who suffered a stroke during a medical procedure in Florida last month. They were essentially tempting fate by running that segment while Castellanos was at the plate, and the right fielder once again delivered by hitting a home run to left-center field at the exact second it was wrapping up.
Stop us if you've heard this one before. An announcer discusses something somber and then Nick Castellanos hits a home run. pic.twitter.com/La30JFj1li
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 12, 2023
At this point, you almost have to wonder if the Phillies broadcast will start going out of its way to discuss somber topics when Castellanos steps into the batter’s box based on how consistently he manages to step up during those moments.