It was a big night for Adrian Del Castillo in a 9-6 win over the Miami Marlins Monday night. OptaSTATS notes the Diamondbacks’ rookie catcher achieved a rare feat in just his ninth career major league game, becoming the third-ever catcher to record six RBI and a stolen base in a game. The other two catchers were Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1974 and two-time All-Star and one-time World Champion Jerry Grote in 1981.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Adrian Del Castillo of the @Dbacks is the third MLB catcher ever with 6+ RBI and a stolen base in a single game, joining Jerry Grote (1981) and Johnny Bench (1974). Tonight was Del Castillo's 9th career game. pic.twitter.com/8q6Chr2SHq
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 20, 2024
In that game, he slugged a grand slam that put the Diamondbacks on the board. In the seventh, he had a big left-on-left base hit that pushed the lead further out after the Marlins crawled to within one and threatened to tie the game in the previous half-inning. He then stole a base when the Marlins didn’t pay attention to him at first, his first career steal, to complete the feat.
“He’s doing everything right,” said Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo in his postgame breakdown on Dbacks TV following the game. “He’s working his butt off to make it happen as well.”
The icing on the cake for this moment was he got to enjoy it in his hometown. Del Castillo grew up in Miami, playing his high school ball at Gulliver Prep before going on to the University of Miami for college. He had more than 100 people show up to the ballpark to support him in his homecoming.
It’s been impressive how despite being thrown into the fire that Del Castillo has more than met the challenge. In his first nine career games, he is 11-for-33 (.333) with three home runs, 14 RBI, and a 1.072 OPS. His 14 RBI is one shy of Mitchell Page’s record, with 15 in 1977, for most in a player’s first nine games. Because of his offensive contributions, the Diamondbacks continue to roll along as one of the top offenses in baseball despite missing their best three position players to injury.
All three of his home runs were lead-changing blasts, showing his ability to perform under pressure. His first home run was a walk-off shot that ended up being a pivotal play in their series win over the Phillies. His second was a game-tying home run off one of the nastiest closers in baseball.
The young catcher has impressed at the plate, showing his ability to maintain a consistent approach no matter the game situation. That’s why he was one of the prospects who most improved his standing in the organization in 2024.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
