SEATTLE — Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo has been named the team’s lone representative for the 2023 All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park.
Castillo has been the model of consistency since arriving in Seattle as part of a trade with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022. This season, the 30-year-old has anchored the Mariners rotation to the tune of a 3.14 ERA and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings across 17 starts. Castillo is also seventh in the American League in total strikeouts.
Nicknamed “La Piedra,” this will mark the third All-Star selection for the flame-throwing righty in his career. This time around, Castillo is excited to be able to pitch in front of the home crowd in Seattle for the midsummer classic.
“The big difference, obviously, for the All-Star Game this year is that it’s here at home,” Castillo told MLB writer Daniel Kramer through an interpreter. “And hopefully the fans can enjoy it, and hopefully we can enjoy it and I’m able to go out there and put up a good performance.”
Although Castillo is the Mariners’ only player on the initial All-Star roster, manager Scott Servais is hopeful that the team could see more of its players added in the days ahead.
“I think George [Kirby] has had an outstanding first half. I think Paul Sewald has a great first half,” he said. “And again, I said to the team, there are things that happened here over the last week, some guys will pull out. Hopefully, we’ll get a couple more players in there because those two guys in my mind are very deserving.”
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