Nick Castellanos Aug 27, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) reacts as he crosses the plate after hitting a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Whenever tragedy strikes, Nick Castellanos is there to interrupt it with a base hit during a Major League Baseball game. However, that won’t be the case on Thursday.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died Thursday at 96. Since it was the most notable news of the day, it quickly spread across social media. Given her impact on the world and what she represented, it would make sense to discuss her death during the day’s sporting events.

That got people thinking about how the news might get mentioned during an MLB broadcast today, and everyone thought the same thing. Where is Nick Castellanos and how is he going to ruin this?

The Philadelphia Phillies slugger has made it his thing to do so. It happened back in August of 2020 when Thom Brennaman was apologizing for saying a homophobic slur on the air. It happened in July of 2021 when the Royals broadcasters were eulogizing a World War II veteran. It happened in Spring Training this March when Blue Jays analyst Buck Martinez was reading an apology from Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker for a DUI. And it happened in May when he interrupted an honoring of fallen heroes on Memorial Day with a home run.

Surely, Nick was ready to strike today. Alas, it turns out fate had other plans as Castellanos is currently on the IL, so he won’t be able to interrupt any somber discussion of Queen Elizabeth. And many baseball fans were saddened by the realization.

https://twitter.com/ByJustinLee/status/1567931302929743872

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About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.