Phillies knock out 104-victory Braves, advance to NLCS

In a season of high payrolls missing the playoffs and 100-victory franchises eliminated early, the stars of the Philadelphia Phillies showed us that free agency still works. Led by Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Game 4 MVP Nick Castellanos, the team defeated the Atlanta Braves in their division series matchup for 2^nd straight campaign.

ONTO THE NLCS#RedOctober pic.twitter.com/j5IiKMqCNu

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 13, 2023

Castellanos, who inked a 5-year, 100 million dollar contract before the 2022 campaign, struck 2 homers in Thursday’s 3-1 clinching victory, 1 day after doing the same in the previous match. He’s the 1^st player in playoff history with back-to-back multihomer matches.

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“When we were young, playing for the United States of America, he did the same sting,” a bare-chested, champagne-soaked Harper claimed after the victory. “In the crucial moments in the best competitions, that’s Nick Castellanos. And that’s why he is playing for us.”

Nick inked with Philadelphia a day after Kyle Schwarber signed for 79 million dollars.

NEXT STOP: NLCS pic.twitter.com/Y1K4yJypXu

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 13, 2023