Nick Castellanos pushes back on Phillies fans after boos in Game 2 loss: 'The environment can be against us'

During the course of the Philadelphia Phillies' 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night -- a loss that put them down 2-0 in the best-of-five National League Division Series and thus on the brink of elimination -- fans of the home team expressed their mounting frustrations at various points. In time-honored Philly tradition, it was via booing. 

The boos started when Bryce Harper flied out to end the eighth inning with a runner on base, and they persisted as closer Jhoan Duran made his entrance: 

Game 2 ended with the tying run 90 feet from home plate as part of a tense ninth, which no doubt added to the frustrations for Phillies fans and players. 

Speaking of the players, outfielder Nick Castellanos, after the game, pushed back at fans who were booing the hometown team in the late innings. Via the Philadelphia Inquirer, Castellanos said: 

"I think that the stadium is alive on both sides, right?. When the game is going good, it's wind at our back, but when the game is not going good, it's wind in our face. The environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us.

"When everything's going good and you're rolling it's a [pain] to play here when you're an opposing team because the environment is amazing. But if we run into adversity and the tide shifts and now we're playing more tight because we don't want to be reprimanded for something bad."

As ever, extreme intensity within a fan base cuts both ways. Most players, though, would take such a double edge over detached apathy. Castellanos has long been a good quote, but this is candid, even by his standards -- perhaps unwisely so. 

This, of course, may be the last round of booing the National League East champs are subjected to in 2025, as Game 3 and (if necessary) Game 4 will be in Dodger Stadium. The Phillies must win both of those if they're to return the series back to Citizens Bank Park.