Martin Horace Castillo (born January 16, 1957) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

third baseman and catcher. Castillo, who is of Mexican descent, is an alumnus of

Savanna High School Savanna High School (SHS) is a public high school in the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD), located in the city of Anaheim, California in the United States. Savanna was established in 1961 and is one of eight comprehensive high schools ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

. Drafted by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in the fifth round of the

1978 Major League Baseball Draft In 1978, four American baseball players were promoted from amateur baseball to the major leagues, including Arizona State University third baseman Bob Horner, who was selected number one overall by the Atlanta Braves. Oakland High School pitche ...

, Castillo made his Major League Baseball debut with the Detroit Tigers on August 19, 1981. Castillo played in only seven games combined in the 1981 and 1982 seasons, but saw more frequent action in 1983, playing in 67 games. Castillo had his best statistical season as a member of the Tigers team that defeated the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in the 1984 World Series. Castillo played 33 games at third base and 36 at catcher for the 1984 Tigers. He had career highs in 1984, including a .234 batting average, 33 hits, 11 extra base hits, and 17

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs). On August 26, 1984, Castillo went 3-for-4 and scored three runs in a victory over the Angels. On September 23, 1984, Castillo went 2-for-3, including a home run and two RBIs, to help the Tigers win their 100th game of the season – a 4–1 victory over the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. Castillo played well in the post-season. He had two RBIs in the

1984 American League Championship Series The 1984 American League Championship Series matched the East Division champion Detroit Tigers against the West Division champion Kansas City Royals. The Tigers took the series in a three-game sweep to advance to the 1984 World Series against th ...

, including the game-winning, pennant-clinching RBI in Game 3, knocking in

Chet Lemon Chester Earl Lemon (born February 12, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, he grew up in Los Angeles. He was drafted in the first round of the 1972 Major League Baseball draft and played 16 seaso ...

for a 1–0 victory, sending the Tigers to the World Series. Castillo also caught the ball at third base for the final out of the pennant-clinching game in 1984. An article in The Detroit News several years ago questioned whether Castillo still had the ball. Castillo continued his strong hitting in the 1984 World Series, batting .333 with a .455 on-base percentage and a .667 slugging percentage. He had nine

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s in the World Series and had three hits, two runs scored, two walks, two RBIs, and a home run. What Castillo called "the greatest feeling of my life" came in Game 3 of the World Series, when he hit a two-run home run. With a count of one ball and two strikes, Castillo hit a fastball into the left field upper deck. He said of his reaction that "I wanted to do a couple of cartwheels, a backflip and a roundoff." Castillo was also on base in Game 5 (the final game) when

Kirk Gibson Kirk Harold Gibson (born May 28, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He is currently a color commentator for the Detroit Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit and a special assistant for the Tigers. As a player, Gibson ...

hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning off

Goose Gossage Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage (born July 5, 1951) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1972 and 1994. He pitched for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New Yo ...

. In a 1984 ''Sports Illustrated'' article, Castillo was described as "an outgoing practical joker" and "one of the more popular Tigers." The article noted that Castillo was "so nice that Tom Monaghan, owner of the club and

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...

, doesn't object to Castillo's endorsing Little Caesars Pizza." When asked by ''Sports Illustrated'' if he would gain other endorsements as a result of his World Series home run, Castillo responded, "I'm not going to worry about it. But my new phone number is ..." Castillo played his last major league game with the Tigers on October 5, 1985.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Marty 1957 births Living people Baseball players from Long Beach, California American baseball players of Mexican descent Chapman Panthers baseball players Detroit Tigers players Lakeland Tigers players Montgomery Rebels players Evansville Triplets players Toledo Mud Hens players Fort Myers Sun Sox players Major League Baseball third basemen Major League Baseball catchers