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Luis Castillo 'Rock'-Solid in Seattle Mariners 1-0 Win Over Pittsburgh Pirates
Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo throws during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 5 at T-Mobile Park. John Froschauer-Imagn Images

Luis Castillo 'Rock'-Solid in Seattle Mariners 1-0 Win Over Pittsburgh Pirates

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Teren Kowatsch  |  Last updated Jul 6, 2025 1:47 AM ET

SEATTLE — Pitching was the key for the Seattle Mariners in a 1-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday at T-Mobile Park.

Living up to his nickname, Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo was "rock"-solid and delivered a seven-inning masterclass which included eight strikeouts and just two hits allowed. It was his second outing of at least seven innings without giving up a free base this season. His last was in an away game against the Chicago White Sox on May 19.

Castillo struck out the final two batters he faced in the seventh to close out his quality start, and flashed his trademark fist pump after getting Oneil Cruz swinging. And Castillo was prepared to throw the fist pump, one way or anothe.

"I tried to do it in the last two pitches," Castillo said via translator Freddy Llanos after the game. "You could probably tell a little bit. The first one with the changeup, (Cruz) was able to pick it up right away, the slider — I felt like it was a perfect pitch. Didn't swing at it. If you notice it, you can kind of tell in my mechanics, I was ready to throw that fist up."

Seattle improved to 47-42 after the win and remained seven games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. The M's are 2.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox, three games ahead of the Texas Rangers and 2.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the final AL Wild Card spot.

Castillo and the Mariners defense didn't allow any opportunities to Pittsburgh. The Pirates had no plate appearances with runners in scoring position and stranded three/

Castillo got four strikeouts with his four-seam fastball, three with his two-seam and one with his slider. His fastball touched 97.2 mph.

"I think, as the season's progressing, (it's) progressing pretty well and I'm feeling pretty well," Castillo said. "I think that's why we're at the point in the season where I think I can locate my pitches where I want them at the velocity I want. I think we're at the point where you're kind of seeing that velocity kind of ticking up a bit."

Seattle was able to turn the game over to Matt Brash in the eighth and Andres Munoz in the ninth after Castillo's lengthy outing.

Brash struck out one and walked one, and Munoz retired the side in order to earn his 20th save of the season in 25 opportunities.

Munoz was one pitch away from an immaculate inning. He fanned Spencer Horwitz and Andrew McCutchen in three respective pitches and got ahead 0-1 on Bryan Reynolds before throwing a ball. Nine of his 10 pitches were strikes.

Seattle had opportunities throughout the game to buy Castillo more breathing room. The M's got runners on base every single inning except the seventh and eighth. Ultimately, it finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.

The one base hit with a runner in scoring position came courtesy of Ben Williamson in the bottom of the sixth. Jorge Polanco, who celebrated his 32nd birthday Saturday, hit a lead-off double. Luke Raley grounded out but moved Polanco to third the next at-bat, and Donovan Solano grounded out after Raley. Williamson hit an RBI double to give Polanco a birthday run and the Mariners a 1-0 lead — which was enough to pull out the victory.

"Tonight — wow (Castillo) was exceptional," M's manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview. " ... He was just phenomenal tonight. ... Just a great night on the mound and because of that we just needed the one. ... In a night where there wasn't a lot of offense, our guys found a way to win."

Seattle will look to close out its stretch of 17 consecutive games without a day off by sweeping Pittsburgh in the series finale at 1:10 p.m. PT on Sunday. George Kirby will start for the Mariners and Paul Skenes will start for the Pirates.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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