Over the last year and a half, Nick Castellanos has been a wonderful addition to the Cincinnati Reds. Whether it be his interviews, which remind some of Greg Poppovich, or his play on the field, he’s been a valuable asset to this team. This early in the season, he’s reminding everybody why he’s that guy. Let’s take a look at the timeline so far for Castellanos’ tenure as a Red.
2020
When he was signed in late January of 2020 by Cincinnati, Castellanos was a huge get. He brought a big bat to the lineup and someone that was hitting his prime. He kicked off his tenure with a wonderful interview that included one resounding word. When asked what he wanted to do here in Cincinnati, Castellanos replied simply, “Win.” Thus kicking off an exciting time for this team.
He kicked off the season super hot, bringing a 12-game hitting streak to start the year. Although he hit a slump, he still helped the Reds make the playoffs for the first time in seven years. After having that kind of season, Nick Castellanos came into 2021 ready to show what he can do through a full season.
2021 Opening Day
Castellanos started off the season with a bang, as he doubled and hit a massive homer off of St. Louis Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty. He of course gave us a huge bat flip and celebrated the big fly, and trotted his way around the bases. He finished 3-5 with two RBI and was three-quarters of the way to the cycle in the 11-6 Opening Day loss.
Game Two
Castellanos came into Game Two looking to keep the train rolling. The Reds chased Adam Wainright in the third inning after hanging a six-spot, and Jake Woodford came on in relief. With two outs in the inning, Woodford drilled Castellanos with a 94 MPH fastball in the ribs, presumably for “hot-dogging” his homer a day earlier. Nick Castellanos took exception to this and while gathering his padding to go down to first, he picked up the ball and offered it back to Woodford, which he declined. Later in the inning, Castellanos ended up on third base after a Joey Votto single.
What ensued was something all too familiar in the last couple of years for the Reds. Woodford uncorked a wild pitch, and Castellanos dashed home, diving in safely head first. Woodford came to cover the plate and ended up with his knees on Castellanos’ back. When Nick rose to his feet, he flexed in Woodford’s face screaming “Let’s F–ing Go!”. This immediately drew a response from Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who grabbed Nick by the back of the jersey/neck area. This incited the benches to clear, and Castellanos was abruptly run from the game by umpire Jim Reynolds. Yadier Molina, on the other hand, was not. No fights ensued on either side, of the physical nature.
Postgame
In the postgame interview, Nick Castellanos was asked about what happened in the situation, and his answer includes a bit that may be the quote of the year. He said in the interview, “Yadier Molina could punch me in the face, and I’d probably still ask for a signed jersey.” You can watch the whole interview directly below.
Game 3
Sunday featured Nick Castellanos striking back with his bat. The Reds obliterated the Cardinals 12-1, and Castellanos finished with a massive 3-run home run and a triple. This capped off the Reds and Castellanos outscoring the Cardinals 21-9 in the final two games of the series and starting their season 2-1. This would also be the third time in team history that the Reds have scored 25 or more runs in the opening series of the season. The other two times were in 1895 when they scored 30, and 1976 when they scored 27 and won the World Series.
Game 4
On Monday morning, Nick Castellanos and Reds Country found out their leader would be suspended for two games. He will likely appeal that decision and that would keep him in the lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Castellanos kept his hot bat rolling into Monday night against Pittsburgh. In the first inning, he singled to right-center. After the Reds only put up one run against rookie pitcher JT Brubaker, they finally tied the game on a Mike Moustakas moonshot to right-field. Then, when Castellanos came to the plate in the bottom of the 7th, he uncorked a massive home run into the left-field bleachers to give Cincinnati the lead for good.
Nick Castellanos 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 sends a baseball into the left field seats. pic.twitter.com/8elvkeT6tC
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 6, 2021
Nick Castellanos is the heart and soul of this Cincinnati Reds team. From his interviews to his play on the field, he brings a necessary passion and swagger to a team that’s been in need of it for a long time. As long as he keeps having fun and winning, the Reds will roll right along with him. They’ve opened up the season 3-1 after defeating Pittsburgh 5-3 on Monday night. Castellanos has a suspension looming, but it shouldn’t be a big deal, as he’ll keep the energy in the clubhouse light and help this team prevail all season long. As Nick Castellanos rolls, the Reds roll too.
“Main Photo”
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Players Mentioned:
Nick Castellanos, Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainright, Jake Woodford, Joey Votto, Yadier Molina, JT Brubaker, Mike Moustakas,
