Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos lashed out at Tampa Bay Rays reliever Edwin Uceta, 2, after taking a hit to the hip during Tuesday’s 9-4 win in the City of Brotherly Love.
After Phillies batter Bryce Harper doubled in the bottom of the eighth inning, Uceta hit Castellanos, causing both the benches and bullpens to empty and players to gather on the infield grass. Uceta was eventually ejected from the game.
He entered the game with a minuscule 0.79 ERA, but the 26-year-old Dominican Republic native saw that figure rise to 1.49 after allowing three earned runs and four hits.
“I had a feeling I was going to get beat up,” Castellanos said. “We all realized what it was: He was upset because he got hit and his effectiveness went up.”
Uceta said he didn’t hit Castellanos on purpose. He also said he hit him with a changeup, but according to MLB’s StatCast, the pitch was a 96 mph sinker.
Nick Castellanos, center right, reacts after being hit by a pitch from Edwin Uceta
Edwin Uceta, right, walks off the field after being ejected for hitting Nick Castellanos
Castellanos said he knew he was going to get hit after Uceta struggled during the eighth inning.
“You’re frustrated and you’re going to lash out at someone,” Castellanos said. “It’s like my 2-year-old getting mad because I took his dessert away before he finished.”
Kyle Schwarber set an MLB record with his 14th leadoff homer of the season before leaving because of an injury, and pinch-hitter Cal Stevenson hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the eighth inning as the Phillies beat the Yankees on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.
Trea Turner hit two two-run homers and Bryce Harper added four hits as the Phillies (87-58) moved 29 games over .500, matching a season high.
Schwarber set the season-opening home run record on the second pitch he saw from Taj Bradley, sending the ball 437 feet to center field for a 1-0 lead and surpassing Alfonso Soriano, who had 13 leadoff homers for the New York Yankees in 2003. The Phillies designated hitter left the game in the fourth inning because of a hyperextended left elbow after reaching a walk in the third and appearing to injure himself diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt.
“I didn’t feel any pain or anything,” Schwarber said. “It kind of stretched out and it was weird. I went down (to the batting cage) and took a swing at it, but it didn’t feel right.”
Players clear the benches during the eighth inning of the Phillies’ win over the Rays on Tuesday
Phillies slugger Bryce Harper came in from second base to challenge Uceta during the eighth inning.
Schwarber received treatment and felt a little better after the game. He said there was no structural damage and that as long as he felt he could handle the discomfort, he could possibly return to the lineup Wednesday when the Phillies go for a series sweep.
Schwarber’s 35th homer of the season was the 45th leadoff homer of his career, with 32 since joining the Phillies in 2022.
Stevenson, who was recalled from the minors earlier this month to replace the injured Austin Hays, batted in place of Johan Rojas with two men on base in the bottom of the eighth inning. He drove a 2-2 changeup from Tampa Bay reliever Edwin Uceta down the right-field line, scoring two runs.
“You just try to calm down and focus on the moment,” Stevenson said. “That was probably the most important at-bat I’ve had in my career. So I was just trying to slow down the game and stick to a plan.”
The Phillies kept on building from there, with Buddy Kennedy’s RBI single and Turner’s second homer of the game.
Harper, who hasn’t homered since Aug. 9 and has a homerless streak at Citizens Bank Park dating back to July 27, appeared to have homered in the fifth inning. But the play was overturned on replay review because of fan interference after a young fan reached over the railing on the right-field wall and caught the ball.
Harper doubled and was stranded when Castellanos flew out and Bryson Stott grounded out to end the inning. Harper had three doubles in a game for the third time in his career and the first since August 2021.
The third double came just before Castellanos was hit. Harper did not take kindly to Uceta hitting his teammate and quickly marched toward the mound yelling at the Rays pitcher.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Garrett Stubbs, left, throws to first for one out Thursday
Harper refrained from getting physically into trouble because Uceta never turned to look at him.
“I didn’t want to be a loser and get behind him,” Harper said. “If he turns around, that’s fine, let’s go.”
Turner also homered off Bradley in the third inning for his 17th career multi-homer game and third this season.
Jose Alvarado (2-5) pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts and earned the win.
The Rays gave up four runs and 12 hits to Phillies starter Ranger Suarez in the first six innings.
Junior Caminero had three hits and drove in a run, while Yandy Díaz and José Caballero each had an RBI single for the Rays. Christopher Morel hit an RBI triple off the center-field wall, the deepest part of the stadium.
Richard Lovelady (3-6) was the loser. He allowed two runs and two hits in two-thirds of an inning in relief.