Another Marlins pitcher to make his MLB debut. This one has Miami making history
Another day, another Miami Marlins player making his Major League Baseball debut. Such is the life of a team that had to add 17 new players to its roster at once to replace another group of players following a COVID-19 outbreak.
This one, however, comes with a bit of MLB history behind it.
The newest player to take the field for the first time at the MLB level: 25-year-old left-handed pitcher Daniel Castano, who will start Saturday night against the New York Mets as the Marlins (7-1) look to keep their six-game win streak alive.
When Castano throws out the first pitch, he will be the Marlins’ ninth different starting pitcher over the course of the first nine games of the season. That has never been done in MLB history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Sandy Alcantara, Caleb Smith, Robert Dugger, Pablo Lopez, Elieser Hernandez, Josh A. Smith, Jordan Yamamoto and Humberto Mejia were the starters in order for Games 1-8.
The previous record of eight was held by the 1904 Philadelphia Phillies, who started 2-5-1 and used 11 total pitchers in their first eight games. Castano will be the Marlins’ 26th pitcher through nine games.
Castano, acquired as part of the Marcell Ozuna trade in December 2017, has never pitched above Double A in the minor leagues. He has started 59 of 80 career games since beginning his professional baseball career in 2015 and posted a career 3.79 ERA in the minors with 335 strikeouts against 76 walks in 393 innings with three complete-game efforts.
He went 7-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 18 games (11 starts) for the Double A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp last season. That included a complete game effort with 13 strikeouts and no walks on Aug. 8, 2019 — a year to the date before his MLB debut.
“We like his composure,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s won everywhere he’s been. Been climbing the ladder, continues to win, continues to pitch well. He’s got a number of pitches. I expect him to be competitive tonight.”
Castano will be the 44th overall player to take the field for the Marlins through nine games this season. For context, the Marlins used 50 total players and only 25 total pitchers all of last season — 26 if you include catcher Bryan Holaday’s one relief appearance.
He is the ninth player to make his MLB debut for Miami this season and the sixth to do so since the Marlins returned from their eight-game layoff to get control of the coronavirus outbreak that ultimately impacted 20 members of their traveling party in Philadelphia.
The others to debut this year: pitchers Nick Neidert, Alex Vesia, Jordan Holloway, Sterling Sharp, Jorge Guzman and Mejia; outfielder Monte Harrison; and infielder Eddy Alvarez.
