The Philadelphia Phillies were on a mission in 2024 with aspirations higher than just another NLCS appearance. They finished the season with 95 wins, the most since their 102-win season in 2011. They clinched the second seed and first-round bye to face the New York Mets in the NLDS.
The first playoff matchup against the division rivals was sure to have fireworks. After dropping Game 1 in a 6-2 loss, the Phillies were looking to answer back to even up the series. Game 2 had every bit of Phillies magic in a true instant classic at Citizens Bank Park and finished at No. 7 in MLB's top finishes of 2024.
Nick Castellanos called game with one of the best finishes of the year in Game 2 of the NLDS
It was a struggle at first, as it was in Game 1, going down 3-0 after a pair of home runs by Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso. The Bank was quiet at the time, but with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Trea Turner singled. That was followed up with back-to-back bombs by first baseman Bryce Harper and outfielder Nick Castellanos to tie the game 3-3.
Brandon Nimmo smacked a home run of his own in the seventh inning to flip the lead for the Mets 4-3. The Phillies came into the bottom of the eighth with the heart of their lineup due up and a chance to counter. A four-pitch walk to Harper, followed by an opposite-field single by Castellanos, set the stage for second baseman Bryson Stott. The go-ahead run was just a few bases away.
After a dramatic six-pitch at-bat and growing anticipation, Stott got ahead of a 90 mph slider from Mets closer Edwin Diaz and roped it down the first base line. The anxious split-second wait for the ball to drop in fair territory evolved into minutes of deafening roaring, setting the Bank ablaze as the ball snuck into the right field corner. Stott slid into third base with a triple and put the Phillies up 5-4. Stott scored on a fielding error to send the game to the top of the ninth inning with the Phillies leading 6-4.
The Mets were down, but as if the Phillies were in the middle of a cruel joke, Matt Strahm gave up a two-run home run to Vientos to tie the game back up 6-6. The bottom of the ninth started with two quick outs, but back-to-back terrific at-bats by Turner and Harper walked the winning run into scoring position.
NICK CASTELLANOS WINS IT FOR THE @PHILLIES!!! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/vM14etkamy
— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2024
Castellanos came to the plate with the opportunity to put the game away and a chance to finish the script the Phillies' way. The man had more walk-off hits than anyone in baseball in 2024, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. He smoked his fifth and final walk-off to left field for a single and put a chef's kiss on Game 2. The good guys won it 7-6, and even though the Phillies inevitably lost the series, it's another moment to appreciate this Phillies team.