Nick Castellanos Calls Out His Son, Liam (The Batboy), For Not Grabbing His Bat After A Homerun

Nick Castellanos has hit 210 home runs in his professional baseball career, but he’s never before had to call out his son after one.

The Philadelphia Phillies right fielder saw a 1-0 pitch from Minnesota Twins pitcher Bailey Ober in the second inning of today's spring training game. Spring training is a time to tune up for the gauntlet of a regular season and shake off any rust.

But it didn't look like Castellanos had much rust on his swing. The left fielder promptly sent that ball for a 408-foot joyride over the left field fence to knot the game at 1-1. 

Nick Castellanos crushed this ball for a home run against the Twins in spring training. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

By the time Castellanos circles the bases on most of his home runs, his bat is safely back in the dugout waiting to be used for his next moonshot. But on this occasion, the right fielder came back to the batter’s box and found his bat still lying in the dirt.

He promptly called out the batboy for neglecting his duties. After all, batboys get paid to bring the used bat back to the dugout. Pretty simple, right?

Even so, it is strange for a player to call the guy out in front of the crowd. But Castellanos had more of an excuse this time, because he personally knew the batboy on duty.

And by "know personally," I mean the batboy was his 11-year-old son, Liam.

That’s right. After crushing a 400-foot nuke, Castellanos called out his son for failing to do his primary duty in his job for the day. 

It’s a good thing Castellanos has a solid work-life balance. He’s a professional baseball player by day, but he never stops being a father. Castellanos' job is to make sure his kid is on top of his game at all times, especially while on duty in an MLB dugout. Therefore, he must seize teaching opportunities whenever they come up and instill a good work ethic in Liam. 

Mission accomplished.