Tony Castillo (pitcher)

Antonio José Castillo [cas-TEEL-lyo] (born March 1, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1988–89, 1993–96), Atlanta Braves (1989–91), New York Mets (1991) and Chicago White Sox (1996–98).

Playing career

Toronto Blue Jays (1988–1989)

Castillo signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an amateur free agent on February 16, 1983, and worked his way through the Blue Jays farm system before making his Major League Baseball debut with the club on August 14, 1988, where he pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in a 6-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals. He earned his first career strikeout against Royals shortstop Kurt Stillwell. On September 3, Castillo earned his first career victory, pitching 2.1 innings, allowing no hits and walking two batters, while striking out one in a 7-4 win over the Texas Rangers. Castillo played in 14 games with Toronto, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings pitched.

Castillo began the 1989 season with the Blue Jays, however, he struggled with the team, going 1-1 with a 6.11 ERA in 17 games. He did earn his first career save on April 16 against the Kansas City Royals, pitching 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball out of the bullpen in a 15-8 win. On August 24, the Blue Jays traded Castillo and Francisco Cabrera to the Atlanta Braves for Jim Acker.

Atlanta Braves (1989–1991)

Castillo finished the 1989 season with the Atlanta Braves, getting into getting into 12 games with the club, going 0-1 with a 4.82 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched.

In 1990, Castillo made his first career start on July 24 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Houston Astros, where he allowed two runs in 4.1 innings pitched, as he had a no decision in a 9-8 victory. He played in 52 games with Atlanta, starting three of them, as Castillo had a 5-1 record with a 4.23 ERA in 76.2 innings pitched.

Castillo began the 1991 season in the Braves bullpen, where he went 1-1 with a 7.27 ERA in seven games before being traded with Joe Roa to the New York Mets for Alejandro Peña on August 28.

New York Mets (1991)

Castillo finished the 1991 season strong with the New York Mets, playing in 10 games, starting three of them, as he went 1-0 with a 1.90 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched. On January 22, 1992, the Mets traded Castillo and Mark Carreon to the Detroit Tigers for Paul Gibson and Randy Marshall.

Detroit Tigers (1992)

Castillo ran into injury problems in the 1992 season, as he did not play in any games with the Detroit Tigers. He spent some time with their AAA affiliate, the Toledo Mudhens of the International League, where he was primarily used as a starting pitcher. On October 15, Castillo was granted free agency.

Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1996)

On January 11, 1993, Castillo rejoined his original team, the Toronto Blue Jays, who won the 1992 World Series. Castillo joined the Blue Jays bullpen, and in 51 games with the team, he had a 3-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 50.2 innings pitched, helping Toronto win the AL East. In the 1993 ALCS, Castillo played in two games, pitching two scoreless innings, as the Blue Jays defeated the Chicago White Sox and advanced to the 1993 World Series. In the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Castillo earned the victory in the fourth game of the series, as Toronto won the game 15-14. Overall in the series, Castillo was 1-0 with an ERA of 8.10, allowing three runs in 3.1 innings pitched, as the Blue Jays won the series in six games.

Castillo had a very strong 1994 season, going 5-2 with a 2.51 ERA in 68 innings pitched, before the season ended early due to the 1994 MLB strike.

Castillo had another solid season in 1995, despite posting a 1-5 record in 55 games, he had an ERA of 3.22 in 72.2 innings pitched, and led the Blue Jays with 13 saves.

In 1996, Castillo had a record 2-3 with a 4.23 ERA in 40 games out of the bullpen. On August 22, the Blue Jays traded Castillo and Domingo Cedeño to the Chicago White Sox for Luis Andújar and Allen Halley.

Chicago White Sox (1996–1998)

Castillo finished the 1996 season with the Chicago White Sox strong, going 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 15 games pitched.

In 1997, Castillo pitched in a career high 64 games, going 4-4 with a 4.91 ERA, and recorded four saves with the White Sox.

Castillo struggled in 1998, as in 25 games, he was 1-1 with an ERA of 8.10. On June 21, the White Sox released Castillo.

Major League Career (1988–1998)

Castillo played in 10 seasons of Major League Baseball, playing in 403 games, 218 of them with the Toronto Blue Jays. Castillo had a career record of 28-23 with a 3.93 ERA, while earning 22 saves. He struck out 333 batters in 526.2 innings pitched. Castillo played in four career playoff games, all with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, as he posted a 1-0 record with a 5.06 ERA, helping Toronto win the 1993 World Series.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players from Venezuela

Sources

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Language: English. ISBN 1-4027-4771-3