Luis Castillo’s ‘Iconic’ Outing Hyped by Twitter as Mariners Beat Blue Jays in Game 1

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The Seattle Mariners defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-0 on Friday night at Rogers Centre in the first game of the American League Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three series to determine who reaches the ALDS.

Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suárez got things started with an RBI double off Alek Manoah before catcher Cal Raleigh blasted a two-run home run to give the Mariners a 3-0 first-inning lead.

Suárez recorded his second RBI of the game in the fifth inning, driving in Julio Rodríguez on a groundout to extend Seattle’s lead to 4-0.

It wasn’t the batting that caught the attention of baseball fans on social media, though. It was Luis Castillo.

The Mariners starting pitcher had an impressive outing in just his second career postseason game and first in a Seattle uniform. The 29-year-old tossed 7.1 innings, allowing six hits and no runs while striking out five before being replaced by Andrés Muñoz.

Seattle acquired Castillo from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline to bolster its rotation heading into the postseason. That trade has paid dividends, and now the right-hander is being praised on social media:

If the Mariners reach the ALDS, they’ll be hoping Castillo can put together a similar performance against the Houston Astros, who were the best team in the American League during the regular season.

The Mariners and Blue Jays are back in action on Saturday in Game 2. Seattle can punch its ticket to Houston with a win.