Nick Castellanos had the best response to the Cardinals asking umpires to inspect bat following grand slam

Well played.

If there’s one team that would take issue with a player hitting home runs with a broken bat, it would absolutely be the St. Louis Cardinals.

They proved that on Wednesday.

Reds slugger Nick Castellanos hit two home runs — including a grand slam — in two innings on Wednesday, and he did it with a chip at the end of his bat. Now, there’s absolutely no advantage gained by Castellanos for using a chipped bat. If anything, it takes away some power from his swing.

But after Castellanos hit that grand slam in the second inning, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt asked the umpires to inspect the bat.

Castellanos hand delivered the bats to the umpires because, well, it wasn’t corked and he didn’t have anything to hide.

Due to “safety reasons,” the bat was removed for the rest of the game. But you have to love how Castellanos handled the ensuing moments. He gave the bat to a young fan while mocking the Cardinals’ safety concerns, calling it a “dangerous piece of lumber.”

He also took a jab for the Cardinals for taking issue with the bat once he drove in six runs with it. He said via MLB.com:

“My view is that was my second homer and I drove in six. All of a sudden, there was an issue. There was no issue when [Jon] Lester absolutely carved me up. And there was no issue in the first game. But then there was an issue.”

Castellanos said that the umpires knew the bat was chipped and were OK with it before the Cardinals took issue. The umpiring crew allowed the home runs to stand, and a young fan left with a souvenir. So, it all worked out for the Reds — even if the Cardinals were being characteristically lame.

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