Nick Castellanos quickly had to turn from homering Phillies slugger into father as rounded the bases.
The outfielder hit his first home run of the spring, a 408-foot drive to left in the second inning of the Phillies’ Grapefruit League game against the Twins at BayCare Ballpark on Saturday with his son, Liam, standing on the top step of the dugout as he was serving as the team’s batboy for the second day.
But Liam was so mesmerized by his dad’s towering blast off righty Bailey Ober that he forgot about his duties, and Castellanos’ bat was still sitting untouched near home.
As he made his way down the third base line, Castellanos immediately looked into the Phillies dugout and gestured toward his son.
He remained standing out home pointing at the bat until Liam finally raced out to collect it.
Castellanos was asked by reporters if his son just got caught up in the moment.
“Apparently,” he said, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Because my bat was sitting right there. As a dad, I’ve got to hold him accountable.”
It was all in all a pretty tender moment, as Liam had a bit of a grin on his face after realizing his mistake.
Castellanos, 31, is beginning his third season with a Phillies team trying to get over the championship hump after losing in the World Series two years ago and the NLCS last season.
He has been a big reason behind the Phillies’ success, including several big postseason home runs.
Castellanos hit .272 with 29 homers and 109 RBIs while making the All-Star team in 2023.
