In disappointing loss, Luis Castillo shows signs of returning to form

Luis Castillo’s nickname may be Rock, but personality-wise, he’s more like the tranquil waters of his home country the Dominican Republic: calm and still, always focused on keeping a positive mindset, rolling with the waves but never getting too high nor too low. He’s not one to pummel innocent dugout equipment after surrendering a go-ahead homer or celebrate with more than his signature fist pump. In particularly high-leverage situations, though, he’ll add a little extra oomph to the display, going down on one knee like he’s doing lunges at the gym, which is how he finished his outing on Sunday after striking out Michael Busch, who had been terrorizing the Mariners all series, with his 103rd pitch of the day:

It was about as bold a display of emotion as you’ll see from the stoic Castillo, who has learned to adapt to the up-and-down nature of baseball by maintaining a positive mindset and even-keeled personality.