When Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo left the game at the end of the seventh inning on Wednesday night, it could have just been another moment in his All-Star season.
If the Reds hadn’t cut payroll in 2020 and 2021, dismantled the core of a playoff team and failed to replace the five All-Stars that the Reds had lost, Castillo’s start against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday wouldn’t have carried any unusual significance.
Instead, it was possibly the last time he put on a Reds uniform.