Nick Castellanos had harsh words for pitcher who hit him

Jun 17, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos (8) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos had some very harsh comments after Tampa Bay Rays reliever Edwin Uceta hit him with a pitch late in a 9-4 Phillies win.

Uceta allowed a home run, two doubles and a single during an ugly eighth inning. Castellanos stepped up immediately after the second double and was drilled by a 96 MPH fastball. Castellanos was furious, and the benches cleared.

After the game, Castellanos had some very brutal quotes about Uceta. The Phillies outfielder said he had an “overwhelming sense that I was about to get drilled” when he stepped to the plate, and even compared the Rays pitcher to his two-year-old.

“I know that he had relatively pretty good numbers going into that. Just watching him, I could see him getting frustrated, and I was digging in, I’m like, ‘I’m going to take this pitch right here to see if he’s around the plate.’ And it wasn’t anywhere near the plate.

“You’re throwing a baseball over 90 miles an hour, and you’re frustrated, and you’re going to throw at somebody. It’s like my two-year-old throwing a fit because I take away his dessert before he’s finished.”

For what it’s worth, Uceta denied after the game that he threw at Castellanos intentionally. He undermined his own defense by claiming he had tried to throw a changeup, which was not remotely the case.

Reckles pitching has been a talking point among some players lately, but this appears to have been a clear case of intent on Uceta’s part. He has walked just six batters all year, and Castellanos was the first one he has hit. For it to come on a harder-than-average fastball while Uceta was being hit around only makes it more suspicious. Umpires agreed, and Uceta was ejected from the game.

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