Tigers: Castillo would have been walked
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
June 23, 2002
MIAMI (AP) -- The Detroit Tigers weren't going to give Luis Castillo another chance to extend
his 35-game hitting streak. Castillo went 0-for-4 and was left on deck when the Florida Marlins
finished off a four-run, ninth-inning rally to
beat the Tigers 5-4 Saturday night.
Disheartened by the end of the streak,
Castillo had a blank stare on his face as his
teammates celebrated the victory. He might
be relieved to know that a fifth plate
appearance wouldn't have changed
anything.
Detroit manager Luis Pujols said Sunday
that he and bench coach Felipe Alou had
agreed to intentionally walk Castillo and
take their chances against Eric Owens.
``Felipe and I said we were going to look bad in our country, but we had to walk him,'' said
Pujols, who like Castillo and Alou is from the Dominican Republic.
But with one out and Andy Fox on third, pinch-hitter Tim Raines lifted a fly ball to center. Fox
tagged and easily beat Wendell Magee's throw home for the game-winner.
Castillo's streak was the longest since Paul Molitor's 39-gamer in 1987, which ended in similar
fashion. Molitor was left on deck when Rick Manning hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th
inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 1-0 victory over Cleveland.
Castillo's streak, tied for the 10th-longest in baseball history, stands as the longest by a Latin
player and the longest by a second baseman.
Only nine players have had longer streaks, including just two since 1950 -- Pete Rose (44) in
1978 and Molitor. Joe DiMaggio set the record of 56 games in 1941.
Castillo was one of the last Marlins to leave the stadium following the end of his streak.
He was one of the first ones to arrive Sunday -- still disappointed with the streak's end but
relieved that the pressures of chasing DiMaggio's mark are over.
``I want to forget about everything,'' Castillo said. ``I know now I'm going to be more relaxed.''
Castillo was out of the starting lineup for the series finale against Detroit, given the day off after
briefly capturing the nation's attention with the longest hitting streak in 15 years.
``Nobody can imagine, unless you're in that position, the pressure,'' manager Jeff Torborg said.
When Castillo got home Saturday night, he refused to watch television, wanting to avoid replays
of the streak's end. He didn't sleep well, either. And he was still down a day later.
``I like seeing the fans like that,'' he said, referring to the standing ovations before each at-bat.
``They wanted to see it keep going. I wanted to do everything I could to make the fans happy.''
Castillo has always had high expectations for himself. This is the same player who tried to fine
himself two years ago after failing to put down a sacrifice bunt. After the game against Cincinnati,
Castillo grabbed a fistful of money from his locker, walked into manager John Boles' office and
threw the cash on the desk.
Castillo had two hits and three stolen bases in the game, but none of that mattered. He wanted to
pay for the botched bunt, but Boles refused to take the money.
He put even more pressure on himself during the streak. He said it really started to build when
the streak reached the mid-20s. He was having trouble sleeping, thinking so much about the
upcoming game.
``I couldn't wait to get to the ballpark,'' he said.
Now he can't wait to start another streak. This time, he has a better appreciation of how difficult
it would be to match DiMaggio's mark.
``I don't know how he did it,'' Castillo said.
....................................................................................................................
He did it with so much luck, along with his skill, it will almost certainly never be repeated.
DiMaggio's record is so vastly out of normal statistical variance (see how far back #2 is compared to any other record), I can state, with a confidence one normally can't in these things, that we won't live to see it matched.