SEATTLE — Seattle beginning pitcher Luis Castillo needed to do extra than simply attempt to shut down the Minnesota Twins from the mound on Sunday.
Castillo needed to seize a bat and step in as a hitter after Seattle catcher Mitch Garver was injured by getting hit on the wrist and forcing a serious reshuffling of the Mariners lineup of their 5-3 loss to the Twins.
With Cal Raleigh — Seattle’s different catcher — already within the lineup because the designated hitter, the Mariners have been compelled to forfeit the DH when Raleigh entered the sport within the third inning behind the plate. That meant Castillo needed to be put into the lineup and within the fourth inning, he stepped to the plate for his first plate look since Oct. 1, 2021, whereas he was nonetheless with Cincinnati.
The bat by no means left Castillo’s shoulder as he struck out wanting on three pitches.
“I simply listened to what they instructed me to take the pitches,” Castillo mentioned by means of and interpreter after the sport. “It has been some time since I stood there and was seeing a pitch like that near me. I adopted the orders they gave me and that is what I did up there.”
He was the primary pitcher to step to the plate at T-Cell Park since Oakland’s Jason Hammel in 2014 and simply the third Mariners pitcher to bat in a house sport in franchise historical past.
Castillo is considered one of two pitchers in baseball to make a plate look this season becoming a member of Arizona’s Scott McGough, who struck out in a loss to the New York Yankees on April 3.
However Seattle supervisor Scott Servais was extra involved in regards to the massive image of the season and did not wish to danger something with Castillo on the plate.
“Luis hasn’t had a bat in his palms for a few years. There’s a lot baseball but and we want him to be a man for us on the mound. It’s a must to be actually cautious there,” Servais mentioned.
Castillo ended up lasting solely 5 innings due to the lineup shuffle. Castillo was lifted for pinch-hitter Ryan Bliss within the fifth inning with the bases loaded. Castillo allowed three runs and 6 hits and struck out three however threw solely 77 pitches.
“You sort of have to know the scenario,” Castillo mentioned. “It was robust however you sort of have to know it.”
Garver was injured when a fastball from Minnesota starter Joe Ryan tailed inside and hit him on the suitable wrist main off the second inning. Garver stayed within the sport to run however was instantly changed by Raleigh to start out the subsequent inning. The staff mentioned Garver had a proper wrist contusion and X-rays have been damaging.
Minnesota supervisor Rocco Baldelli –who managed Garver with Twins — was hopeful his former participant was going to be OK and understood the issue dropping the DH placed on Servais.
“That could be a horrible factor for any staff to need to cope with,” Baldelli mentioned. “I might most likely inform my pitcher the very same factor, simply go up there and stand again and possibly they stroll you.”
Seattle did have three catchers on the roster for a stretch with Seby Zavala serving because the backup to Raleigh whereas Garver primarily was the DH. However Zavala was not too long ago designated for task, leaving solely two potential catchers on the roster.