Nick Castellanos’ struggles continued on Saturday with an 0-for-4 night at the plate, resulting in a chorus of boos coming from the Philadelphia Phillies fans at Citizens Bank Park during a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
But it was after the game, when Castellanos was asked about the boos, when frustrations started to boil over.
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Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia asked Castellanos if he “heard the boos,” which led to this exchange:
Castellanos: “No man, I lost my hearing.”
Salisbury: “So, you didn’t hear them?”
Castellanos: “No man, that’s a stupid question.”
Salisbury: “Why is it a stupid question?”
Castellanos: “Can anybody else answer that for him? Anybody? Yeah, it’s a stupid question.”
Salisbury: “It’s not a stupid question. If it’s a stupid question you should be equipped to answer it.”
Castellanos: “I did answer it.”
At this point, a media relations employee for the Phillies got in between the two to cool down tensions but the two continued to chirp at each other.
“If I heard the boos? That’s a rhetorical question,” Castellanos continued. “Of course it’s a stupid question.”
Whether or not the question was warranted, Castellanos does find himself amid the worst season of his career and Phillies fans are letting him know about it.
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The 30-year-old is slashing .245/.290/.366 for a paltry .657 OPS — a far cry from his career .802 mark. He has just six hits in his last 32 at-bats and no home runs since June 30.
In fact, Castellanos — who hit 34 home runs last year with the Reds — has just one home run since May 31 and only eight this season.
This all coming after the Phillies signed Castellanos to a five-year, $100 million contract as a free agent.
With the Phillies just one game out of a wild-card spot, the team is going to need Castellanos to turn things around quick, otherwise it will be more boo birds for the prized slugger.
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