SEATTLE — Luis Castillo’s smile was small and tight when he heard Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson tell him on the mound that he was being traded. It was the third inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, as the Mariners tried to hold off the Toronto Blue Jays, who had already won one game at the Mariners’ home stadium. Castillo, who threw fewer pitches than in any of his 247 major-league starts, nodded approvingly – if not approvingly – and handed the ball to his manager.
What happened before Wilson’s decision was bad; What happened next was worse. Mariners relievers failed to contain Toronto’s offense, in an 8-2 loss, and with the series tied at two games apiece, Seattle will go into Game 5 with more complicated pitching options due to how Wilson’s picks are implemented.
Every postseason decision is evaluated through the prism of the outcome, which isn’t always fair but is the reality of October.
“You make decisions, and you have to live with them,” Wilson said after the match.
Wilson explained that what the Mariners staff talked about going into Game 4 was that Seattle wanted to be aggressive in going to the bullpen. When Toronto beat the Mariners in Game 3, Wilson was able to rein in his best assistants: Gabe Speier, Matt Brash, and Andres Munoz. Additionally, Bryan Woo — who was Seattle’s best pitcher before his injury on Sept. 20 — will be available out of the bullpen, if Wilson finds a suitable opportunity.
Castillo is a three-time All-Star, the most accomplished among the Mariners’ vaunted rotation of starting pitchers, known for his solid reliability. He also had a year of dwindling things, as his swing-and-miss rate was the lowest of his career; Toronto scored eight runs in 10 innings against him during the regular season.
In the first two innings Thursday, Castillo threw hard, attacking the strike zone with a fastball that reached 95 mph. But in the third period everything changed. Isiah Kiner-Falefa pulled a double down the third base line, and after 3-2, Andres Jimenez pulled a slider into the right field stands, giving the Jays a 2-1 lead. The Saviors began to move into the Seattle parking lot, and with Nathan Locke and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on their own, Spur quickly prepared. There are too many throws up the middle, as Cal Raleigh would later say.
Alejandro Kirk drew a walk to load the bases. Wilson’s options at that moment: stick with Castillo, or call up Speer, a left-hander, to face left-handed hitting Dolton Varsho.
Wilson emerged from the dugout and did not immediately point to the bullpen; Instead, he spoke to Castillo and told him that he intended to summon Spear. Castillo threw just 48 pitches, the fewest in his nine-year career. He returned to the dugout and watched the rest of the inning from the top pitch.
“It’s a tough decision, and it wasn’t an easy one to tell him. But that’s what we went with,” Wilson said.
Varsho fell behind 1-2 in the count, but missed two throws and totaled the count before walking. Toronto’s lead was 3-1. Speer struck out the next two batters to avoid further trouble, and Castillo met him with a five-footer as he entered the dugout.
In the next half, Speer got himself into trouble again. After a Kiner-Falefa single and sacrifice bunt, George Springer struck out with a right hand next.
Wilson had three options at that moment:
He could have called in Brash, his best man, to confront Springer. He could have effectively forced Speer to outflank Springer. Or, by hitting Lukes with a left hand on the deck and Guerrero set to follow, he could allow Speier to counter Springer.
Wilson went with the third option, and Springer hit a double into the left corner, extending the Jays’ lead to 4-1. By the time Lock hung up, Speer — Seattle’s top left-handed option — had thrown 32 pitches, more than in any outing of his career.
Wilson called Brush into the game with the Mariners trailing by three runs — perhaps not the situation the manager envisioned at a time when his team was leading the series. Seattle’s bullpen had to cover 20 points on Thursday.
Bryce Miller starts Friday, in the Mariners’ last chance to win a championship series game in front of their home crowd. This series is sure to come back to Toronto – but whether or not Seattle advances is up to Miller and the bullpen that was used heavily in Thursday’s loss.
“We used the bullpen guys tonight, but they got a good rest again,” Wilson said. “So I think we’re still in good shape as far as our team is concerned and also, we’ve got Brian there as well, and we’ll use him when the time is right.”
It’s not clear how Castillo felt about all of this. In his time with the Mariners, he was known for always sticking around to answer questions after his start, both good and bad. But by the time reporters were allowed into the Mariners’ clubhouse after Game 4, Castillo was gone.