2 weeks Ago
After the sad news of Pope Francis passing away on Monday morning, many baseball fans were expecting to see Nick Castellanos hit a home run for the Philadelphia Phillies that evening. Unfortunately for Phillies fans (and the many people who bet on him to go yard), Castellanos came up empty in Philadelphia's 5-4 loss to the New York Mets at Citi Field, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The All-Star slugger still managed to produce a memorable highlight, however, when SNY's TV cameras caught him eating a funny snack during a tense moment in the middle of a tight game.
With the Phillies down 2-0 and Alec Bohm leading off the top of the seventh against Mets reliever Max Kranick, Castellanos was shown casually housing a Smucker's Uncrustable while leaning over the dugout railing, prompting a brief debate among the SNY crew over what kind of snack he was eating. For those who aren't familiar, an Uncrustable is a pre-packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwich without any bread crust. While primarily intended for schoolchildren, it's also a popular snack among professional athletes given that it's quick and easy to consume while providing protein and carbs.
While MLB players are often shown consuming things like sunflower seeds, gum, water and Gatorade during games, they are rarely shown eating sandwiches in plain view of the TV cameras. Castellanos isn't like other players, however, and certainly isn't afraid of the cameras. The hard-hitting outfielder may be 33, but he proved that you're never too old for a classic kids' snack.
While it may have boosted his energy, it unfortunately didn't give him a boost at the plate. He flew out to center field in his next at-bat to end the top of the eighth, stranding Kyle Schwarber on first base. Philadelphia rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
Edwin Diaz closed the door by striking out Trea Turner and Bryce Harper to end the game, handing the Phillies their second straight loss and extending New York's lead over them in the NL East to three games. Castellanos and his teammates will try to bounce back on Tuesday behind Cristopher Sanchez (2-0, 2.96 ERA), who's coming off a career-high 12 strikeouts against the San Francisco Giants in his most recent outing.
He'll face Griffin Canning, who's 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 21 strikeouts in four starts for the Mets this year. Recommended Articles.
