HondaReport.com - It's official: Randy Castillo has a bionic arm

OK, I'm exaggerating. Randy Castillo is just a 16-year-old kid who loves throwing baseballs really, really hard. Really.

Yeah, so tell me about another high-school junior who has thrown back-to-back shutouts totalling 17 innings, 233 pitches and 19 strikeouts with just four walks.

Derek Tatsuno? Tom Seaver? Nolan Ryan? Roger Clemens? We'll see later. Randy Castillo isn't exactly in their class just yet, but with a 7-1 record and two insanely great outings in the past two weeks, the 6-foot-1 right-hander has been nothing short of stellar.

His last win, a 6-0 shutout against a good-hitting Kapolei squad on Wednesday, was a test of his arm after that 10-inning, 126-pitch effort the week before. I was lucky enough to be assigned to this game, and I wasn't certain who the starting pitcher would be for Aiea.

Kapolei is sneaky good. They were 7-2 coming in, quicking rising in the tough OIA West, and Tom Ebanez and staff are among the finest. Castillo kept them off balance. Oh, the 'Canes got a few hits and had runners on base in all but two innings, but this is where Castillo separates himself from the good pitchers.

He holds runners on base incredibly well. His move is quick — no surprise from a lanky kid. But coach Scott Kato says his move is accentuated by the velocity of his "toss."

"He throws it hard over there because if he doesn't, he loses accuracy," the longtime coach said. Castillo's outstanding presence on the mound led to a throwout of a baserunner at second, and there were no 'Canes who really got away from Castillo.

I'm not about to pronounce Aiea as the new state champion, but in watching two of Na Alii's games recently, it's pretty clear.

They're as fun to watch as any high-school team in the state. If Castillo and the other ace, Cody Aquino, stay healthy, don't be surprised to see Aiea in the state final. It'll be fun to watch, even though there are rules in place that won't allow Castillo to throw 10 innings each night.

Extra innings: I had the garlic fried rice from Aiea Bowl the last time I went to Aiea. This time, I got my GFR before the game, even at the risk of having dragon breath. It was worth it. Again. Highly recommended. The regular "bowl" is $4.95 and filling, chock full of chopped Portuguese sausage. I like mine with ketchup. This is now a must-have for me when in Aiea.

this kid sounds like a superstar. i dont think people quite realize the numbers he is putting up.
throwing a shutout is impressive by itself, but back to back with 19k's is crazy good.

it does sound like he is throwing a lot of pitches though! but this is my humble opinion only. i am sure his coach has his best interests in mind.

good luck to him the rest of the season.

Posted by: bill s at May 4, 2007 1:31 AM