Castro makes Yankees history with big opening series
Starlin Castro's first week in the Bronx couldn't have gone better.
Acquired from the Cubs at the winter meetings, Castro put an exclamation mark on his first series as a Yankee when he connected Thursday for his second homer in as many days, and extended his MLB-leading RBI count to eight after just three games against the Houston Astros.
Castro's eight runs batted in are a franchise record for a player's first three games with the team. Before Thursday's series finale, manager Joe Girardi said he's already nicknamed the Yankees second baseman "Starsky."
"Starlin Castro is playing T-ball right now," teammate Carlos Beltran told reporters after Wednesday's victory.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Castro's fourth-inning solo shot off Mike Fiers on Thursday - his second of the young season - matched his output through 27 games last season with the Cubs. He didn't hit his third until May 8, and finished with his fewest homers (11) since the 2011 campaign.
An All-Star in 2014, Castro stumbled to a .575 OPS through his first four months of the season and lost his job as the club's starting shortstop. Following a late-season move to second base, he responded by hitting .353/.373/.588 over the final seven weeks of 2015.
"I just want to be the player that I used to be," Castro said Wednesday. "To show everybody that I am a good player, that I can be a better player."