Mariners' Pitcher Luis Castillo Made Extremely Rare Team History in Sunday Loss

The Seattle Mariners lost to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon. It was a tough loss for Seattle, who has now lost eight of its last 12 games. In the loss, M's pitcher Luis Castillo joined an extremely rare group in team history as an odd situation unfolded. Here's more:

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) throws against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at T-Mobile Park on June 30. / John Froschauer-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Mariners' pitcher Luis Castillo joined an extremely rare group in team history on Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't for anything he did on the mound.

Castillo made the history because of an odd set of circumstances which forced him to bat against Twins' righty Joe Ryan.

The M's started Mitch Garver at catcher and Cal Raleigh at designated hitter. Garver was hit by a pitch in the second inning and was forced to leave the game. This meant that Raleigh had to move to catcher with the M's losing the designated hitter. As a result, Castillo had to enter the lineup. He struck out on three pitches, never raising the bat off his shoulder.

Per @MarinersPR on social media:

Luis Castillo is the third @Mariners pitcher to bat in a home game with the DH-rule in effect, joining Mike Schooler on Aug. 11, 1990 vs. Boston & Joe Saunders (appeared as PH only) on June 29, 2013 vs. Chicago-NL.

Luis Castillo is the third @Mariners pitcher to bat in a home game with the DH-rule in effect, joining Mike Schooler on Aug. 11, 1990 vs. Boston & Joe Saunders (appeared as PH only) on June 29, 2013 vs. Chicago-NL.

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) June 30, 2024

As comical as the situation was, it underscores a real issue moving forward for the Mariners. Can they afford to have both Garver and Raleigh in the lineup at the same time - without carrying a third catcher? Assuming Garver is healthy, they could continue to risk the same situation that played out on Sunday, or they could elect to turn Garver into a primary bench player. Furthermore, they could re-call Seby Zavala from Triple-A and have him be the third catcher, albeit one who doesn't play very often.

Garver has a right wrist contusion and we should know more on Tuesday ahead of the series opener with the Baltimore Orioles.

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