Nick Castellanos walked it off for the red-hot Phillies on Tuesday night:

The Phils are now 43-19, tied with the Yank stank for the best record in baseball.

Afterward, Castellanos said this is the best team he’s ever been on:

“I think it speaks to being a complete team, being able to do everything. J.T. (Realmuto), if you look at this past two games, the pick that he had, that play almost saves the entire game. And then him being able to grind and protect home plate (Tuesday night) and come back after that foul ball that he took, it’s just great all around. Honestly, this is by far the best team that I’ve ever been on and I’m really enjoying it.”

Castellanos hasn’t played well for most of this season, just a .619 OPS and .214 batting average through June 4th, but going back 10 games, he’s got 10 hits and pulled his average up from .198. He has four doubles in that stretch and last night walked twice while knocking in the game-winner. He’s only struck out once in his last five.


So you hope the trend continues. It really does speak to the idea that this team simply finds a way to get it done. Last night it was Castellanos, Bohm, and a gem from Cristopher Sanchez. Monday night? Realmuto, Sosa, Rojas, and Wheeler. They’re getting contribution across the board.