VIDEO: Never Forget Luis Castillo Dropped Alex Rodriguez's Pop-Up and Blew Game for the Mets
By Max Scoli
As we approach the ten-year anniversary of one of the most infamous moments in New York Mets recent history, it seems only right to remember the play that broke the heart of so many fans of the Amazins. On June 12, 2009, Mets second baseman Luis Castillo dropped a routine pop-up by Alex Rodriguez that allowed the Yankees to win a game of the Subway Series in spectacular fashion.
June 12th, 2009: New York Mets at New York Yankees. The "Luis Castillo" Game. pic.twitter.com/IlTKmkeUsz
— Jake Montgomery (@JakeM0NTGOMERY) June 10, 2019
It was one of the most shocking endings to a sporting event, as a play easily made 999 times out of 1,000 ended with the team trailing by a run with two outs in the ninth coming out on top. Yankees players were just as surprised as their cross-town rivals as Castillo literally "dropped the ball." Team Captain Derek Jeter spoke about the craziness of it all, saying:
“You could see that play a thousand more times and that would never happen,” said Derek Jeter. “We stole a game today.”
- Derek Jeter
Twenty years ago at the Subway Series in the Bronx, half of Bobby Valentine's coaching staff got fired. Ten years ago, Luis Castillo dropped the popup. What in 2019?
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) June 9, 2019
However, there is more to Castillo's career than this one play. The 43-year-old is a three-time MLB All-Star, a three-time Gold Glover, two-time NL stolen base leader, and a World Series Champion. He even hit over .300 that year with the Mets, in addition to 20 stolen bases and 40 RBIs.
Sadly, Castillo's stellar career will always be overshadowed by this one unfortunate event.