Castro ‘extremely grateful’ for title in final season
HOUSTON — While the Astros had been mobbing one another on the infield at Minute Maid Park within the moments after successful the World Series on Nov. 5, one participant was making a extra measured stroll from the dugout to the celebration.
Catcher Jason Castro, nonetheless recovering from left knee surgical procedure, couldn’t fairly sustain together with his teammates pouring onto the sector when Kyle Tucker caught the ultimate out to beat the Phillies in Game 6 of the Fall Classic. Perhaps it was solely becoming, although, that Castro had further time to benefit from the second and absorb what turned out to be his remaining time on a giant league discipline as an energetic participant.
“On the way out, I actually caught eyes with Tucker coming in from right field and he just yelled at me like, ‘You better run!’” Castro mentioned. “I took a few hobbled steps, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s not going to work.’ I was not really in a great position to join the celebration immediately. Those things die down pretty quickly, and being able to be on the field for it in any capacity was something I’ll never forget.”
Castro introduced his retirement on Dec. 2 after a 12-year profession that lined 4 groups, one All-Star look, 97 profession homers and 5 knee surgical procedures, which is finally why the previous first-round Draft decide retired at age 35. Castro had been leaning towards retirement for fairly a while, saying in Spring Training that the 2022 season might be his final.
Castro, taken by the Astros out of Stanford with the tenth total decide in 2008, debuted in 2010 and missed your entire ’11 season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his proper knee in Spring Training. Most not too long ago, he had surgical procedure in July to restore the meniscus in his left knee, ending his season and finally his profession.
“If I had never had any sort of knee injury, who knows what would have happened to my career?” Castro mentioned. “Having it so early on, missing what would have been my first full season, you never really know. Where I’m at in my life and with my family — my kids are getting older now — it seemed like the right time [to retire]. And with the way things ended, it was like a perfect culmination of my career, and I’m proud to go out with the championship in my final season.”
The remaining swing of Castro’s profession was actually a memorable one. He clubbed a two-run house run within the ninth inning of a 2-0 win on the Mets on June 29, backing up a robust outing by Justin Verlander. Castro knew earlier within the sport he had injured his knee.
“Getting what ended up being the final swing off and hitting a home run there to win that game, that was pretty cool,” he mentioned. “At the time, it was great we won the game and everything. I knew early on in that game I had done something pretty significant to my knee and was more worried about that and what that was going to mean going forward. Looking back on it, obviously a pretty cool way to end it.”
Castro ranks third on the Astros’ all-time video games caught record with 654, behind Brad Ausmus (1,243) and Alan Ashby (900). Castro left the Astros in free company following the 2016 season — the yr earlier than they gained the World Series — and spent three seasons with the Twins (2017-19), then break up 2020 between the Angels and Padres earlier than returning to Houston previous to the ’21 season.
He was Houston’s beginning catcher by means of its rebuilding years, which included three consecutive 100-loss seasons, and he was the membership’s lone All-Star in 2013 — its first season within the American League. He guided a number of up-and-coming pitchers early of their careers, together with catching Lance McCullers Jr.’s Major League debut in 2015.
Castro, who has a level from Stanford, lives in Houston and needs to return to the sport finally, however for now, he’s going to concentrate on spending time together with his spouse, Maris, and their three youngsters — sons aged 6 years previous and 12 months previous and a 4-year-old daughter.
“A lot of people play this game for a long time and never have an opportunity to be part of a team like this,” Castro mentioned of the Astros. “I’m extremely grateful to be a part of it, to come back to Houston for my final two years of playing and be a part of this team.”
