Willi Castro, a utility player for the Minnesota Twins, had a frustrating moment during Wednesday night’s game against the New York Yankees at Target Field in Minneapolis. Castro lost track of the outs in the second inning, leading to a Yankees run in their 4-0 victory over the Twins.
The Incident
With the bases loaded, Yankees’ Anthony Volpe flied out to center field. Castro, thinking the inning was over, started jogging toward the dugout after making the catch. This allowed Gleyber Torres to tag up from third base and score, increasing the Yankees’ lead to 2-0. The inning ended when Juan Soto flied out to center field, but Castro, in a moment of frustration, threw the ball into the stands, hitting a Pepsi sign above the bleachers.
Reactions from the Team
Despite the incident, Castro remained in the game. Twins starter Pablo Lopez noted that Castro took responsibility for the mistake. “He came up to me and took the blame for not making the throw,” Lopez said.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli addressed the situation after the game, emphasizing the need for better self-control in such moments. “This is a guy that is highly competitive, plays extremely hard, and works as hard as anybody in our clubhouse. Watching him be frustrated with himself is understandable,” Baldelli said. He added, “The only way to get that right is to keep playing him. There are circumstances where you can take a player out of the game, and there are circumstances where you can talk to a player and let him play through it.”
Castro’s Recent Struggles
This incident followed another tough game for Castro. In the series opener on Tuesday night, he misjudged a fly ball due to the sun, contributing to the Twins’ 5-1 loss to the Yankees.
Meanwhile, starting center fielder Byron Buxton is nearing a return from injury. He made his first rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday night, going 0-for-3 in a 6-0 loss to the Omaha Storm Chasers. Despite Castro’s struggles, Baldelli indicated that there was no consideration of bringing Buxton back early for the series finale against the Yankees, citing the need to prioritize Buxton’s health and recovery.
Moving Forward
The Twins hope that Castro can rebound from these challenging moments. His competitive nature and work ethic are well-respected within the team, and they believe continued play will help him regain his confidence. As the season progresses, the Twins will look to both Castro and the returning Buxton to contribute significantly to their defensive and offensive efforts.
