SEATTLE — Seattle starting pitcher Luis Castillo had to do more than just try and shut down the Minnesota Twins from the mound on Sunday.
Castillo had to grab a bat and step in as a hitter after Seattle catcher Mitch Garver was injured by getting hit on the wrist and forcing a major reshuffling of the Mariners lineup in their 5-3 loss to the Twins .
With Cal Raleigh — Seattle’s other catcher — already in the lineup as the designated hitter, the Mariners were forced to forfeit the DH when Raleigh entered the game in the third inning behind the plate. That meant Castillo had to be put into the lineup and in the fourth inning, he stepped to the plate for his first plate appearance since Oct. 1, 2021, while he was still with Cincinnati.
The bat never left Castillo’s shoulder as he struck out looking on three pitches.
“I just listened to what they told me to take the pitches,” Castillo said through and interpreter after the game. “It’s been a while since I stood there and was seeing a pitch like that close to me. I followed the orders they gave me and that’s what I did up there.”