NEW YORK — It was shaping up to be MLB’s must-watch pitchers’ duel of the day, pitting the Mariners’ shiny new Trade Deadline acquisition against the Yankees’ five-time All-Star ace.
And it largely was — but not until after the first inning.
The Mariners ambushed Gerrit Cole for three homers before Luis Castillo took the mound, giving their new frontline starter a six-run cushion. That, and the gnarly stuff from Seattle’s new ace, proved to be a successful formula in a 7-3 win on Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Castillo came one out shy of completing the seventh inning, surrendering a tough grounder just past first baseman Carlos Santana, then a two-run homer to Kyle Higashioka that ended his day. But before that sequence, he’d given up just three hits and one run while striking out eight, making him the Mariners’ first midseason acquisition with that many K’s in his first start since Andy Benes had nine in 1995, 27 years ago to the day.
It all led to Seattle’s first series win over the Yanks since 2016, and it capped a challenging road trip against the AL’s two best teams on a high note.
The early run support came via first-inning homers from Eugenio Suárez, Carlos Santana and Jarred Kelenic, marking the first time since May 2, 2002, that Seattle hit at least three in the opening frame. That day against the White Sox, Bret Boone and Mike Cameron went back-to-back twice in the first, and Cameron hit two more later to complete his epic four-homer performance.