Adrian Del Castillo hits winning homer in 9th inning in 2nd MLB game, D-backs beat Phillies 3-2

PHOENIX (AP) — Adrian Del Castillo hit the winning homer in just his second game in the majors, hammering the first pitch of the ninth inning to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night.

The Phillies rallied from a 2-0 deficit, tying it in the eighth on a two-out RBI double from Johan Rojas that scored a hustling Nick Castellanos from first.

That set up Del Castillo’s ninth-inning heroics. He jumped all over a 97 mph fastball from Jeff Hoffman (3-2), launching it deep into the right-field seats for his first big league homer. He was mobbed at home plate by his teammates while a crowd of nearly 38,000 roared.

Welcome to the big leagues, kid.

“Goosebumps, honestly,” Del Castillo said. “Straight up goosebumps. It was sick. I don’t even know how to describe it.”

Arizona's Ryne Nelson threw 7 1/3 brilliant innings, giving up just three hits and two runs, walking one and striking out nine.

Del Castillo finished with three hits and two RBIs. He was called up this week after starting catcher Gabriel Moreno went down with a groin injury in Cleveland. In 100 games this season for Triple-A Reno, Del Castillo hit .319 with 24 homers and 70 RBIs.

“You couldn’t ask for any greater moment for a young player,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “I get so excited for the players coming up from player development. I felt like I was 18 years old again for a few minutes.”

Justin Martinez (5-3) pitched the ninth, getting the victory with the D-backs' seventh walk-off win of the year.

The Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the first when Del Castillo hit a looping RBI single to left center. Joc Pederson made it 2-0 in the third with a solo homer to right, which was his 19th long ball of the season.

Meanwhile, Nelson put on quite a display of strike throwing, retiring the first 12 batters he faced and throwing first-pitch strikes to the first 17 batters. At one point in the sixth inning, he had thrown 51 strikes and just 10 balls.

Nelson might have been pitching for his job in the starting rotation. Merrill Kelly is expected to return from injury this weekend, giving the D-backs six starting pitchers including Zac Gallen, Jordan Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Lovullo said he's not going with a six-man rotation so someone's got to move to the bullpen. The manager said he's not ready to make a decision.

“I just try to go out there, compete, and do whatever I can to make their decision as hard as it can be,” Nelson said.

Bryce Harper finally got to Nelson in the seventh, driving an opposite field homer to left field for his 26th homer of the year to cut it to 2-1.

“He's in a good spot right now,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Philadelphia's Zack Wheeler gave up two runs on seven hits over six innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out eight.

MAKING MOVES

Diamondbacks: Called up RHP Scott McGough and optioned RHP Slade Cecconi to Triple-A Reno.

Phillies: OF Austin Hays (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL and LHP Kolby Allard was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. OF Cal Stevenson and RHP Max Lazar were promoted from Triple-A. 1B Darick Hall and RHP Max Castillo were designated for assignment.

UP NEXT

The D-backs will start RHP Zac Gallen (9-5, 3.75 ERA) on Saturday night. The Phillies counter with RHP Aaron Nola (11-5, 3.54 ERA).

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Arizona Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo is pummeled by bubble gum during a post-game interview after he hit a walk-off home run against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Josh Bell reacts to a strike call against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper is pictured after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, right, hugs Adrian Del Castillo after he hit a walk-off home run against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo gestures after hitting a walk-off home run against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo celebrates hitting a walk-off home run against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo, middle, is mobbed by teammates after hitting a walk-off home against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Adrian Del Castillo, middle, has ice dumped on him after hitting a walk-off home run against Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Josh Bell (36) slides safely into third base against Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson pumps his fist after striking out three Philadelphia Phillies in a row during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (7) somersaults while diving for a ball hit off the bat of Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. It was the Phillies first hit of the game. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Philadelphia Phillies' Johan Rojas dives back to first base but is out during a force play against the Arizona Diamondbacks' Josh Bell during the sixth inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper gets high-fives from teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler prepares to throw against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson points skyward after hitting a solo home run against Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson throws against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of a baseball game Friday, Aug 9, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research into reasons why some countries succeed and others fail.

The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research into differences in prosperity between nations.

The three economists “have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for a country’s prosperity,” the Nobel committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said at the announcement in Stockholm.

“Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better. The laureates’ research helps us understand why,” it added.

Acemoglu and Johnson work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Robinson conducts his research at the University of Chicago.

“Reducing the vast differences in income between countries is one of our time’s greatest challenges. The laureates have demonstrated the importance of societal institutions for achieving this,” Jakob Svensson, Chair of the Committee for the Prize in Economic Sciences, said.

He said their research has provided "a much deeper understanding of the root causes of why countries fail or succeed.”

Reached by the academy in Athens, Greece, where he is due to speak at a conference, Acemoglu said he was surprised and shocked by the award.

“You never expect something like this," he said.

The economics prize is formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The central bank established it in 1968 as a memorial to Nobel, the 19th-century Swedish businessman and chemist who invented dynamite and established the five Nobel Prizes.

Though Nobel purists stress that the economics prize is technically not a Nobel Prize, it is always presented together with the others on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.

Nobel honors were announced last week in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace.

Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands.

The Nobel memorial prize in economics awarded to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson, seen on screen, during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Academy of Sciences permanent secretary Hans Ellegren, center, Jakob Svensson, left, and Jan Teorell, of the Nobel assembly announce the Nobel memorial prize in economics winners, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A Robinson, seen on screen, during a press meeting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 14, 2024. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)

FILE - A close-up view of a Nobel Prize medal at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

The Nobel economics prize is being announced in Sweden

The Nobel economics prize is being announced in Sweden

FILE - A bust of Alfred Nobel on display following a press conference at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022. (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP, File)