by Paul Semendinger
(Continuing a series…)
***
Turn it up to eleven...
11.
That's just it.
Eleven.
Bill Castro was a Yankee in 1981. He pitched in eleven games. He won one game and lost one game and when those stats sit side-by-side, it looks like an 11. (Well, sort of.)
***
Bill Castro is a little-known baseball name, but he had a longer career than one might realize. Before becoming a Yankee, Castro pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers for seven years. As a Brewer, Castro pitched in 253 games - mostly as a relief pitcher. He made five only starts. Castro won 25 games, lost 23, and saved 44 games. His ERA as a Brewer over that period was 2.96.
The Yankees signed Castro as a free agent before the 1981 season. Castro spent most of the year at Columbus in Triple-A. The only time he was in the big leagues was from early April through the end of May.
At Triple-A, it seems the Yankees looked to make Bill Castro a starting pitcher. He made 12 starts and went 8-1. His ERA, though, told a different story, 4.56.
After the 1981 season, the Yankees traded Castro to the Angels for Butch Hobson. This began an incredible five month period for Bill Castro:
March 1982 - Traded by the Yankees to the Angels
April 1982 - Released by the Angels
May 1982 - Signed by the A's
June 1982 - Released by the A's
July 1982 - Signed by the Royals
That must have been a type of culture shock for a guy who spent his first seven years with Milwaukee.
Castro pitched for the Royals in 1982 and 1983. He appeared in 39 games and went 5-2. He made four starts and he saved one game.
***
One stat that really jumps out is Castro's strikeouts in his career. He just didn't have many. In 546.1 career innings, he struck out only 203 batters.
After his career, Bill Castro served as a scout and as a pitching/bullpen coach, mostly with the Brewers. He actually signed with the Brewers after his days in Kansas City, but never made it back to the big leagues as a player. He also coached with the Baltimore Orioles.
***
Most of the information for this article came from the wonderful site baseball-refence.com.
Remarkable how Topps can make a cap look air-brushed even when it isn't!