It wasn’t quite the brilliant masterpiece that Luis Castillo spun back in October 2022 when he threw 7 1/3 scoreless innings in Toronto to kickstart the Seattle Mariners’ playoff run.

But in what was essentially a must-win situation Sunday night, “The Rock” lived up to his nickname with a gritty performance in Seattle’s 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

The 32-year-old Castillo struggled with his command early on, walking three of the first seven batters he faced. As a result, he needed 51 pitches to labor through the first two innings – which was particularly concerning given that the Mariners had already gone deep into their bullpen the night before in an 11-inning Game 1 loss.

Three things we’ve learned so far from Mariners’ ALDS vs. Detroit

Yet after those first three walks, Castillo settled in and retired the next nine batters. He stabilized his pitch count with a pair of nine-pitch frames in the third and fourth, then got the first two outs of the fifth before giving up his first and only hit, then handing the ball over to Seattle’s bullpen.

Castillo’s final line wasn’t extraordinary: 4 2/3 innings, no runs, one hit, three strikeouts and four walks. But on a night when there was little margin for error, the three-time All-Star ultimately came through.

Mike Salk made sure to highlight Castillo during Monday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“Can we just give a little props to Luis Castillo? … I thought he was great yesterday,” Salk said. “Yes, the pitch count got up early. But one of the cool things about Luis is his ability to limit the pitches when he needs to. He got himself in trouble, 25 pitches (in the first), then 26 (in the second). What does he do the next two innings? Nine and nine. When he needs to throw outs rather than strikeouts, he is incredibly capable of it.

“I think for this version of Luis – this year and this part of his career – that is his superpower. And I thought they really needed it, and he did it really well yesterday.”

Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More Seattle Mariners ALDS coverage

• Josh Naylor’s status uncertain for Mariners’ ALDS games in Detroit
• T-Mobile Park hosting Mariners watch parties for ALDS Games 3-4
• Jorge Polanco’s heroics help Seattle Mariners even series with Detroit
• After second-half tear, Julio shining on the October stage
• Polanco’s big game is two great signs in one for Seattle Mariners