Nick Castellanos and the Curious Case of Timely Home Runs

Since then, Castellanos’s knack for odd timing hasn’t let up. On July 5, 2021, he homered during a Royals broadcast eulogizing a 97-year-old World War II veteran. In 2022, he hit a Memorial Day homer as the Phillies broadcast honored fallen service members. Even in spring training, he couldn’t avoid the pattern—he notched his first Phillies hit during a broadcast discussing a coach’s DUI arrest.

In October 2023, Castellanos hit a home run in Game 3 of the NLDS just as the broadcast sent well wishes to former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who had suffered a stroke. Then, on June 18, 2024, less than an hour after the death of baseball icon Willie Mays was announced, Castellanos walked off the game with a double down the right-field line. Fans couldn’t help but notice.

July 2024 turned surreal. On the 13th, Castellanos hit a home run hours before former President Donald Trump was shot at a rally. Eight days later, he homered again, just hours after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. That same day, it was announced that Thom Brennaman—the origin of the Castellanos meme—would return to broadcasting with the CW Network. You can’t make this up.

On September 11, 2024, he opened a game with a home run on the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

As if that weren’t enough, last week, just minutes before the official news broke that Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar had been suspended 80 games for testing positive for a banned PED substance, Castellanos smacked a 414' homer to center field. The internet had a field day, with one post summing it up perfectly: “Castellanos homers and Profar gets suspended.”

Lastly, two days ago, Castellanos delivered a grand slam against the Dodgers, minutes after NHL icon Alexander Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record. 

Whether coincidence, fate, or baseball's weirdest running bit, Castellanos has become more than a slugger—he’s a walking headline, unintentionally turning baseball moments into cultural bookmarks. And as long as he keeps swinging, the timeline stays on its toes.