Expect anything different? Mariners ace Castillo deals six scoreless frames on Opening Day
As Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan lifted a routine flyout to Julio Rodriguez in center, Luis Castillo pumped a single fist toward the home dugout – a marquee celebration after a dominant Opening Day performance.
A sold-out crowd at T-Mobile Park rejoiced. Castillo – a.k.a. ‘La Piedra’ – had completed his sixth inning of near-perfect work on Opening Day, Seattle’s first meaningful game since the American League Divisional Series last fall.
Seattle’s newest Opening Day starter was everything the Mariners needed him to be: the intimidating, dominating presence on the mound and All-Star caliber arm capable of disarming a 92-win Cleveland team a year ago.
Seattle’s ace went six scoreless, allowing one hit – an infield single – in a brilliant season debut. He walked none and struck out six, totaling 76 pitches and refusing Cleveland a base hit beyond the infield dirt.
The Mariners went on to win, 3-0, albeit in a no-decision for Castillo. Yet he out-dueled Cleveland starter Shane Bieber and kept Seattle in a tight game despite zero run support.
“It’s a different adrenaline,” Castillo told reporters through a translator after his Opening Day gem. “It’s a different game. I come out here and do my best, and I’m going to give it my all no matter what team I’m facing.”
Castillo retired a dozen straight Guardians before exiting, his lone early hiccup by freak accident. With Cleveland still searching for its first hit and Seattle’s ace in a groove, Guardians right fielder Will Brennan whacked a 95-mph comebacker off of Castillo’s hair and into the middle infield. The ball dribbled to shortstop J.P Crawford, who had no play.
Manager Scott Servais, joined by athletic trainers, jogged to the mound. On Opening Day, before a sold-out crowd, their star pitcher’s health was in jeopardy.
Servais assumed the ball hit all hair until Eugenio Suarez, Seattle’s third baseman, motioned to Servais on the mound that Castillo had been hit in the head.
Time stopped, and so did the noise.
Castillo said the ball made contact with 50 percent of his hair and 50 percent of his head, the long blue braids serving as unexpected armor from a missile-like return shot.
“I didn’t know how long he was going to hang in there,” Servais told reporters after the game. “Obviously, the adrenaline is pumping out there.
“But he never wavered.”
Castillo remained on the mound, to the relief of an entire ballpark. Umpires allowed him a handful of warmup pitches, and Castillo went on to strike out the side in the third – stranding Brennan at first for the remainder of the frame.
“I realized I was OK right away,” Castillo said. “I felt good. I was able to react and see where the ball went. I was OK.”
From then on, Cleveland stood no chance. Castillo was as solid as stone.
Guardians hitters struggled on all four of his offerings, though the four-seam fastball was particularly effective. He generated seven whiffs with the heater, mixing in a healthy diet of last-second sinkers and the occasional changeup or slider.
Castillo’s velocity was down – roughly one mph slower than last season’s averages – but spin and break rates were up. His 13 total swing-and-misses bested the 2020 AL Cy Young Bieber’s 10.
In no scenario would Castillo have thrown over 100 pitches in Thursday’s opener, per Scott Servais prior to pregame festivities. Wary of overworking him, Servais’ words were clear and concise: “This is not late September.”
But Servais never gave an inning limit.
“He was never fazed. It was never big eyes, or anything,” Servais said. “(Castillo) was like, ‘I’m OK. Let me catch my breath, throw a few pitches, and get back after it.’ And he never backed off.”
Without Castillo’s efforts, the Mariners might still be winless. First baseman and reigning All-Star Ty France broke a scoreless tie with an eighth-inning, three-run home run, the only scoring play in the contest..
“You really can’t say enough about (Luis),” France, the game’s hero, said. “He comes out, gets the ball every five days, and you know what you’re going to get from him.
“He’s one of the best… if not the best, in my opinion. … I’m not surprised.”
France said Seattle’s home crowd created a playoff-like atmosphere. Castillo was equally appreciative.
“It meant a lot. We came here to put on a show for the fans,” Seattle’s ace said. “We played good ball, and we came out there to do our job.”
This story was originally published March 30, 2023 at 10:47 PM with the headline "Expect anything different? Mariners ace Castillo deals six scoreless frames on Opening Day."
