Luis Castillo puts on a show amid trade rumors, Reds win wild game against Yankees
NEW YORK – It’s unknown how many more starts Luis Castillo will make in a Cincinnati Reds uniform with trade rumors swirling around him, but he’s giving his teammates something to remember.
"This is," Joey Votto said, "the best I think I’ve seen him."
Castillo didn’t give up a hit in his first two trips through the New York Yankees lineup Thursday, pumping 98-mph fastballs past batters. He barely even gave up any hard contact.
And that may not have been the most impressive part in a wild 7-6 win in 10 innings.
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On Castillo's 114th pitch, with the Yankee Stadium crowd of 41,311 on its feet, he struck out DJ LeMahieu with a 97-mph fastball to strand two runners on base in a tie game.
Castillo celebrated with a long fist pump. Shortstop Kyle Farmer embraced him and told him "I love him and he's the man." Catcher Tyler Stephenson hugged him in the dugout. After high-fiving a long line of teammates, Castillo put his arm around manager David Bell and smiled.
"He asked me after the game if I was nervous while I was watching him," Bell said, laughing at the memory. "Absolutely not. There is nobody that I’d rather have out there at any point and he knows that."
It was Castillo’s last start before he heads to Los Angeles for the All-Star Game.
He’s never been better.
Pitching inside Yankee Stadium for the second time in his career, facing the best offense in the league, Castillo permitted two hits and one run in seven innings while striking out eight.
"He’s been so steady over the last bit and he seems to be getting hotter," Votto said. "This has been really fun to watch. He’s got great stamina. The stuff seems to be getting better because I keep getting impressed feedback from the opposing hitters at first base."
With scouts watching Castillo's every move, he's allowed three runs in his last 27 innings. It's an incredible four-start stretch against the Yankees, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and the Chicago Cubs, lowering his season ERA to 2.77.
"I hope he stays a Red forever," Farmer said, "but who knows what the future holds."
The Reds, who have won six of their last seven games, took two of three games from the Yankees in the Bronx. It was just the fourth time the Yankees have dropped a series, a club that had a 15-game home winning streak earlier this year.
The trade deadline is looming and they have a season-high 17 players on the injured list, but that hasn’t stopped them from playing inspired.
Playing in extra innings for the second consecutive night, the Reds survived a game when Jeff Hoffman coughed up a three-run lead in the eighth inning and Reiver Sanmartin gave up a two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th.
"When you’re playing the New York Yankees or any other good team, this is what it’s supposed to feel like," Bell said. "It’s a playoff game. Every pitch matters. You make a mistake, you come right back and you make a play.
"This is what baseball is supposed to feel like. It’s a beautiful game. It takes everything you have."
As much as Yankees hitters jumped on the Reds’ bullpen, it was further evidence of Castillo’s dominance.
With two outs in the seventh inning, Castillo surrendered a single to Jose Trevino and he walked Marwin Gonzalez in a 12-pitch plate appearance. Castillo thought the last pitch was a strike – he was correct – and shook his head when it was called a ball.
It was the type of call that can snowball an inning for a lot of pitchers. Castillo, well, he’s never fazed. He struck out LeMahieu in a full count.
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"I think in the past, fairly or unfairly, after an at-bat like that, I’m maybe looking to get somebody else in because that can wear you out. Not anymore," Bell said. "It took everything he had, but he finds another gear."
Castillo, who didn’t give up his first hit until one out in the sixth inning, admits he hears the trade rumors. He was asked plenty during the trip to New York about being traded to the Yankees, saying he'd cut his hair if necessary for a new team.
When he's on the mound, none of that crosses his mind. Teammates and coaches say the biggest difference for Castillo this year is his level of focus on every single pitch. It never wanes.
As everyone speculates on where Castillo will be pitching after the Aug. 2 trade deadline, he was asked what the Reds meant to him.
"They gave me an opportunity to start my career," Castillo said through team interpreter Jorge Merlos. "Throughout the whole time being with this organization, all the personnel, everybody has been treating me well. I hope we can continue on doing this thing for a long time."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Luis Castillo dominant amid trade rumors, Reds win series vs. Yankees
