The Luis Castillo Era started in an unexpected way, with the pitcher grounding out to the shortstop. Once on the mound, Luis Castillo struck out the first batter he faced, throwing fastballs of 98, 99 and 100 mph before using his slider to get a swinging strike.
Five innings, five strikeouts, five walks and five hits. Luis Castillo gave up a couple solo home runs and was helped by three inning-ending double plays. Castillo’s impressive fastball ran around 98 mph all night, ranging from 96 to 100. Yet he had significant trouble getting his changeup over for strikes, so he induced few swings on those pitches.