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Nick Castellanos showed up for the Philadelphia Phillies last night, recording two hits and an RBI in a 4-1 victory to move within one game of the Division Series. The star slid into second base after one of his hits and promptly celebrated, ending with what appeared to be a middle finger aimed at his own dugout.
It was a surprising scene, given that there has been no animosity between Nick Castellanos or his Phillies teammates. In fact, one clip of the broadcast showed his teammates in the dugout right after the fact, celebrating and not seeming to care about potentially having been flipped off.
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That's because, if one looks closely, they can see that Castellanos did not flip off his teammates. After sliding into the base safely, he offered up a different finger: his ring finger.
This is where he would put a World Series ring if he had one, and it is his goal, as well as his teammates', to win it all. Here's a good look at the celebration.
This is a fairly common celebration in championship games. It's the athlete telling the world to "ring them" and those who win are crowned and given the ring. It's a bit bold to do it in the fourth inning of the first Wild Card game, but the journey to the World Series started in that game against the Miami Marlins.
Nick Castellanos wants a World Series ring
Based on his unique and almost inappropriate celebration (to the naked eye, it can definitely look like a middle finger in real time), it's clear that Nick Castellanos wants to finish the job that he, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and the rest of the Phightin' Phils could not last year.
They went on an unbelievable run to the World Series, defeating favored teams in the Wild Card and NLDS, where they ousted the Atlanta Braves. A similar path may be needed this time.
They ended up facing the Houston Astros and falling in six games, and they are intent on making sure that doesn't happen this season. They have a long way to go, but Castellanos and company clearly have the motivation.
