Friday night, the Philadelphia Phillies continued their stellar play with a blowout win over the Miami Marlins (PHI 8, MIA 2) at loanDepot Park. It was Philadelphia's 19th win in their last 23 games. They are an MLB best 27-12. The Marlins, meanwhile, are 10-30, and fans are protesting their latest fire sale outside the stadium.
Nick Castellanos opened the scoring Friday with a second-inning solo homer against Marlins lefty Trevor Rogers. It was his third home run of the season, and all three have come in his last 13 games.
Castellanos grew up in South Florida and makes his offseason home in the area, so every road series against the Marlins is a homecoming. He spent time with his family during Thursday's off-day, including his dog, Tiger. Castellanos told the Philadelphia Inquirer he's had the dog -- a boxer -- since he was 19, and the dog is named after the Detroit Tigers, the team that drafted him.
Late Thursday night, unfortunately, Tiger developed a health issue and had to be put down. Castellanos said Friday's homer was for Tiger, who was with him his entire career and lived a full life. Here's what Castellanos said (via the Philadelphia Inquirer):
"It was ironic, right?" Castellanos said. "I was able to go home. He was there. We were able to watch (my son) Liam's game with him, happy as hell and in a great mood, but he really took a turn for the worst in the middle of the night. And he was put down in the morning. But I mean like, a boxer, 13 and a half years, the dog has been all over the country. Flown first class. If I come back as a boxer in my next life, sign me up for that life."
Speaking from experience, losing a longtime pet is very painful, though it's made a little easier by knowing the animal was loved and you gave it a good home. It sounds like Tiger lived a great life. Getting to spend one last night with him -- Castellano's mother took care of the dog as his career took him all around the country -- and then hitting a homer in his honor is a cool little tribute.
