Broadcasters beware: Nick Castellanos did it again.
With the Phillies hosting the Giants on Monday, NBC Sports Philadelphia play-by-play man Tom McCarthy took a moment in the bottom of the second inning to describe a new feature at Citizen’s Bank Park. The American Gold Star Mothers Chair of Honor will be an unoccupied seat that will permanently “pay tribute to every mother who lost a son or daughter during active service and be dedicated to the memory of their loved ones.”
Castellanos, as he’s done multiple times before, went deep, with his solo homer off Logan Webb coming at an inopportune time for another broadcaster.
“…The gold chair, which will sit vacant here at Citizen’s Bank Park, honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice,” McCarthy was able to get out before having to quickly shift gears. “… Castellanos rips one to deep left field, it is… GONE!”
It’s becoming a trend for the outfielder, who, then with the Reds, famously hit a homer in the middle of Thom Brennaman’s on-air apology for uttering a slur during a Reds-Royals game in August of 2020.
“I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of,” Brennaman said. “If I have hurt anyone out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart I’m so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith, as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos and that’ll be a home run. And so that’ll make it a 4-0 ballgame. I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again. I don’t know if it’s going to be for the Reds. I don’t know if it’s going to be for my bosses at Fox.”
Castellanos then repeated the feat in July 2021, going long while Royals’ play-by-play announcer Ryan Lefebvre was eulogizing George A. Gorman, a World War II veteran and father of Royals equipment manager Pat Gorman, who had recently died at the age of 96.
“Pat, just like his dad, went to (the University of Kansas), also went to Bishop Ward High School,” Lefebvre said, “… there’s a drive into deep-left center field. And there’s never a great time to eulogize someone during the broadcast. So we apologize for the timing.”
It’s not just limited to long balls for ill-time Castellanos hits. Earlier this season, as the Blue Jays’ broadcast discussed Toronto pitching coach Pete Walker’s DUI, the slugger once again forced an abrupt change in topic with a fourth-inning single.
Perhaps its time broadcasters everywhere checked on Castellanos’ whereabouts before discussing anything off the field.