Phillies' Nick Castellanos becomes 1st player in MLB history with back-to-back multi-HR games in postseason

Bryce Harper's two homers and beef with Orlando Arcia got most of the attention after Game 3 of the NLDS between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, but Nick Castellanos posted multiple dingers that night, too.

There was no ignoring him Thursday in Philadelphia's win in Game 4.

With the Phillies down 1-0 in the fourth inning, Castellanos put his team on the board against Braves ace Spencer Strider with a 404-foot blast to the left-field stands.

Castellanos followed with another solo homer in the sixth inning, making him the first player in MLB history to hit multiple home runs in back-to-back games. This one went even farther, at 415 feet.

You better believe Castellanos flipped his bat.

Both of those homers came against Strider's slider, one of the best pitches in baseball. During the regular season, batters hit .177 and slugged .266 against the pitch, with four homers. Total. Castellanos posted half that in back-to-back plate appearances.

No one was happier to watch the second homer fly than Castellanos' son, Liam, who couldn't contain his joy as his father rounded the bases.

Before Game 3 of this series, Castellanos had one homer in 26 career postseason games. In the span of seven plate appearances, he has upped that total to five.

"I am learning that the season and the postseason are completely different," Castellanos said after the game.

Castellanos is in his second season with the Phillies after joining the team in free agency before the 2022 season. He has been a major addition to the team's clubhouse, but it took him a year to become the middle-of-the-order threat the Phillies envisioned when they gave him a five-year, $100 million contract.

His homers Thursday wound up being quite important. Trea Turner was responsible for the team's other run, with his own solo homer, but Castellanos' two long balls were all Philadelphia needed in a 3-1 win to eliminate MLB's winningest team this season.

Castellanos and the Phillies are now headed to the NLCS, where they'll face the Arizona Diamondbacks, another wild-card team that stunned a 100-win division rival in the Los Angeles Dodgers. Four more wins, and the Phillies will be back in the World Series.

NLCS Game 1 is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET Monday (TBS).