Now, what I need to talk about is Nick CastellanosHe can’t keep running away like this.
You’ve probably seen the meme, and you’ve definitely heard the phrase. “I take pride in myself and consider myself a man of faith. If Castellanos hits the ball deep into left field, it’ll be a home run. And it’ll be 4-0. I don’t know if I’ll ever wear this headset again…”
But it’s more than just a coincidence. This guy has talent. And that talent is Major League Baseball It turned the game into a scene from “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
It all started on August 19, 2020. Cincinnati Reds Anchorman Thom Brennaman was slammed off the microphone after making homophobic remarks, and when he returned to the air, A now legendary phrase He apologized in an awkward asides before walking out of the broadcast booth with his career in shambles. It was the kind of surreal moment that was destined to go viral — and it did.
This, my friends, was just the beginning.
July 5, 2021: On the same level as Brennaman’s apology. Kansas City Royals The broadcast took the time to mourn the death of George A. Gorman, the father of Royals fans. They figured with the intermission they would have time to get over this solemn moment before the actual game began. But as Castellanos was rounding the bases, We got this“There’s never a perfect time to memorialize someone on air, so we apologize for the poor timing…”
July 31, 2021: It was too early in the process for us to understand then, but Frontier League announcer Kyle Dawson realized Castellanos didn’t even need to be at the ballpark — just calling his name was enough to ruin a serious moment. Dawson was speaking heartfelt about his recently deceased uncle, Charlie, and when Tri-City DH Grant Heyman came up to bat, Dawson felt a spirit move.I’ll send you the video. Hopefully someone won’t hit a home run and tie the game against Nick Castellanos.” He said.
Thank you for this moment, Uncle Charlie. I love you. pic.twitter.com/yfRiPHMao6
— Kyle Dawson (@RealKyleDawson) August 1, 2021
“…” of course..”
May 30, 2022: As Philadelphia Phillies As the station paid tribute to fallen soldiers as part of its Memorial Day broadcast, Castellanos again interrupted with a home run, which is literally the order in which those words were spoken. On air：「…」 Honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Castellanos hits the ball deep into left field and it’s gone!“
September 8, 2022: At this point, the meme had grown to the point where fake Nick Castellanos home runs started popping up. This one The post was convincingly edited — suggesting he hit the home run as the broadcast cut to a moment of silence for Queen Elizabeth before the game — but unfortunately Castellanos was on the disabled list and didn’t play from September 3 to September 26. But people were fooled. If a guy does it multiple times, why suspect he’d do it again?
October 11, 2023: By this point, the broadcasters should have known. If there was any serious discussion or tribute to be had, they could wait until after Castellanos’ at-bat. Right? Apparently not. Shortly after former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel suffered his stroke, TBS’ Brian Anderson was tasked with letting viewers know that Manuel was recovering well. But he made the mistake of doing so during Castellanos’ at-bat. The broadcast, which showed footage of Manuel hitting tennis balls with his left hand in the hospital, didn’t even make it in time to return to the live action. View Presentationbut they caught the swing. Of course it was a home run.
We’ll come back to home runs in a moment, but let’s take a moment to acknowledge that there’s more to this phenomenon than just home runs.
• March 27, 2022: was selected as Toronto Blue Jays It was discussed on air Toronto pitching coach Pete Walker’s drunk driving during spring training.
• June 6, 2023: Doubled, The broadcast discussed ALS. (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
Seriously, announcers, hold on a second. The pitch limit hasn’t shortened the game time, but we’re going to have to hurry up with the somber announcements. Teams also provide a batting order service, so you can announce the batting order when other batters are up to bat. Let me suggest the opposing team’s No. 9 hitter.
But once established, legends often live on through confirmation bias, and if any one of these three events this year had happened in isolation, they wouldn’t have been considered coincidences. But when big news breaks and I find myself compelled to check the Phillies box score (as has been the case for a while now), these otherwise inconsequential events serve as further evidence that Castellanos will continue to do things this way for the foreseeable future.
June 18, 2024: Willie Mays dies. Less than an hour after the news breaks, Castellanos hits a walk-off double.
July 13, 2024: The day of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, Castellanos had already hit a home run and then smashed a double over the wall in his next at-bat.
Sunday: President Joe Biden has announced that he is dropping out of the presidential race. The news comes on the same day that Thom Brennaman, the man who started the campaign, also dropped out of the race. His first broadcast job Since that fateful day in 2020.
Guess what Castellanos did?
To “Left fielder,” no less.
He can’t keep doing this, can he?
It may already be too late. In fact, this may be exactly what Nick Castellanos has. everytime His first professional home run, which I promise I’m not making up, was in the minor leagues. May 1, 2011.
(Photo of Nick Castellanos hitting a home run in the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday: Charles LeClair/USA Today)
