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CINCINNATI – There’s a long list of disputes, games, and skirmishes – big and small – that have peppered the Reds and Cardinals’ rivalry over the years. For the second time this season, Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos has been part of a page in this story.
The tone of the Reds’ 12-2 rout over the Cardinals in Game 2 of their seven-innings doubles program on Wednesday – following their fall, 5-4, in Game 1 – was set early when Castellanos hit two home runs with six RBIs. thanks to two batting appearances in the first two innings. But it was the Castellanos grand slam, hit at the end of the second, that sparked the dispute over the Saint-Louis canoe.
“My take is that it was my second circuit and I rode six,” said Castellanos. “All of a sudden there was a problem. There was no problem when [Jon] Lester completely cut me up. And there was no problem in the first game. But then there was a problem.
Facing JA Happ for the second time, Castellanos crushed a 1-2 throw to left center field for a grand slam and a 6-1 lead. Upon returning to the dugout, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt asked the referees to check Castellanos’ bat, which had been given to a child sitting near the dugout at home.
“The bat was chipped. It’s just by rule, ”said Shildt. “Look, I don’t want to make a big deal out of this. The guy hit a home run with the bat chipped, good for him. Put two good swings in it. I wasn’t really going to say anything at first, but the bat got out of there so quickly. I didn’t want the bat to go away. I knew there was really no recourse. “
The four referees gathered and then approached the Reds’ dugout to chat with Castellanos and manager David Bell and request that the bat be inspected, as Shildt believed it was chipped at the end of the barrel. The bat, which was recovered, was examined and returned to Castellanos before being returned to the young fan.
“[Shildt] tries to do everything he can to give his team the best chance of winning, right? The second game had them check a bat which led in six points which put them forward, “said Castellanos.” I decided to give this dangerous piece of wood to a lucky kid who was sitting on top of the canoe, so at the end of the day everyone wins.
Team manager Phil Cuzzi determined that nothing on the bat affected the result of the contact.
“It was obviously brought to our attention that the sectional part of Castellanos’ bat was broken, which was the case when we inspected it,” Cuzzi said. “We just told him, ‘We’re not going to pull the home run. You just can’t use the bat. “It was that easy.”
Next, Shildt requested a video review for a rule check to confirm that the referees followed the correct procedures under MLB Rules 3.02 and 6.03 (a) (5).
Rule 3.02 states that “The stick shall be a round, smooth stick with a maximum diameter of 2.61 inches at its thickest part and a maximum length of 42 inches. The stick should be made from a single piece of solid wood. “
Specifically, in 6.03 (a) (5), “A batter shall be deemed to have used or attempted to use an illegal bat if he brings such a bat into the batter’s box” – and the batter may be called out.
Said Castellanos: “The home plate umpire of the first game [John Trumpane] – actually the last time I was at bat – told me he was like, “Hey Nick, do you see your bat upstairs?” I said, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s okay.’ He said “OK”, so the umpire of the first game knew that my bat was in this condition. “
It was determined that the umpires could use their own discretion to allow the home run decision to stand. But Castellanos’ bat has been withdrawn for further use for safety reasons.
“It didn’t give him any advantage,” Cuzzi said. “It’s really a more dangerous thing because it’s easier for this bat, if he gets a ball off the end of the bat it might shatter and who knows? in someone’s face. It was more of a safety, but it had nothing to do with the home run. The home run was never about not counting it. “
As a result, the grand slam counted, giving Castellanos his 26th homerun of the season, one short of his career high.
“I thought the crew did well,” Shildt noted.
Castellanos noted that he has been using the stick since it was initially damaged during his last at-bat on Sunday in Miami.
“I’ve been doing it all year because I don’t want to just lose a bat,” Castellanos said. “I’m just going to pick up the pieces of wood that are pushed back until the whole bat is intact. Then I’m just going to use it. In fact, my opening day home run against them had a chunk. missing because the same happened in spring training. “
Beating late in the first inning against Happ, Castellanos drove a 0-1 pitch into the left-field seats for a two-run homer to give Cincinnati a 2-1 lead.
“Both of those circuits were important, which got us going in the right direction from the start of the game,” said Bell. “Sometimes it’s a little more important than others. Tonight was one of those games.”
Three hitters after the Castellanos slam, Kyle Farmer added a two-run homerun against Junior reliever Fernández to make it an 8-1 game. It boosted the fortunes of Reds starting pitcher Sonny Gray, who started the 12-batting rally with a single and pitched five innings for the win. Gray allowed two runs and two hits on a pair of solo home runs – including Tommy Edman to open the night – with three strikeouts.
By ending a four-game losing streak and recovering the last game of the three-game series with the Cardinals, the Reds are back to half a game ahead of the Padres for second place in the National League Wild Card. The Cardinals and Phillies are 2 1/2 games behind Cincinnati.
Castellanos is down .392 with five homers and 12 RBIs this season against St. Louis. He hit them a home run on opening day and was hit by a pitch in the second game of the season. Later that same day – April 3 – he flexed on pitcher Jake Woodford after scoring on wild ground to start a bench clearance brawl. The incident resulted in a two-game suspension for Castellanos.
“It gives me an added advantage,” Castellanos said of the Cardinals. “I’m naturally a happy person, but for the times when I’m pissed off for whatever reason it’s amazing how I’m able to lock it up. Guess that.”
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