It wasn’t quite the brilliant masterpiece that Luis Castillo spun back in October 2022 when he threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Toronto to kickstart the Seattle Mariners’ playoff run.

But in what was essentially a must-win situation Sunday night, “The Rock” lived up to his nickname with a gritty performance in Seattle’s 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

The 32-year-old Castillo struggled with his command early on, walking three of the first seven batters he faced. As a result, he needed 51 pitches to labor through the first two innings – which was particularly concerning given that the Mariners had already gone deep into their bullpen the night before in an 11-inning Game 1 loss.

Three things we’ve learned so far from Mariners’ ALDS vs

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