We can stop thinking Mariners’ piggyback was a bad idea

The Seattle Mariners’ decision to piggyback two of their starting pitchers in the same rotation spot was controversial.

And after its first go-round, it felt kind of disastrous.

Then after Part II, it was unpopular – not just with fans, but with the players directly involved.

Now, after three piggyback games on the mound for Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo, we should call it what it really is.

Wildly successful.

You might have read that line above and wanted to get mad about it. And trust me, I get it.

First IL stint gives Mariners’ Cal Raleigh new ‘perspective’

The Mariners’ three piggyback games have created all kinds of frustration.

In Round 1 on May 19 against the White Sox, there was Miller’s dalliance with a no-hitter that prolonged his outing longer than expected and delayed Castillo’s arrival out of the bullpen. Then everything went sideways in the ninth inning when the M’s left Castillo in rather than immediately go to closer Andrés Muñoz. When Castillo ran into trouble, manager Dan Wilson tried to make a pitching change on a second straight mound visit, which isn’t allowed. Once Muñoz did come in, he inherited two runners with one out and couldn’t preserve the 1-0 lead. The M’s ultimately lost 2-1 on a night where the offense mustered just one hit.

Round 2 came in Sacramento last Monday, and though the Mariners won 9-2 over the Athletics, Castillo was visibly frustrated in the dugout with being pulled after just four innings, and Miller said in a postgame TV interview that the “setup’s not very comfortable.” The next day, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said he spoke directly with Miller and Castillo, and acknowledged that it’s “still not an ideal situation,” but added he’s “confident that we were able to more clearly communicate the current situation and plan moving forward.”

Passan: ‘Everyone needs to be on board’ with piggyback

And in Round 3 on Sunday, Miller and the Mariners handed a 1-0 lead against the Diamondbacks over to Castillo in the sixth inning, which was erased in the same frame. Then after Dominic Canzone hit a tie-breaking homer in the bottom of the inning for Seattle, a error on defense helped Arizona knot things back up at 2-2.

But Seattle won that game, too, in part because Castillo was able to pitch through the 10th inning, working his way through traffic to keep Arizona from plating a third run and allowing the AL West-leading Mariners to walk off the D-backs for the second time in three days and complete a second straight series sweep.

All of those issues the Mariners dealt with through the three piggyback games draw attention away from what’s most important, though. Which is that when it comes to the results on the mound, they were stellar.

In the first game against Chicago, Miller and Castillo combined for eight innings of two-run ball with 11 strikeouts while holding the White Sox to just two hits and three walks.

In the second against the A’s, it was nine innings of two-run ball on seven hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts.

And on Sunday, they made it 10 innings where only one earned run was scored, while limiting Arizona to three hits and three walks while striking out nine D-backs.

On top of it all, the starting pitcher of every one of those games had a scoreless outing.

Add it all up, and you’re looking at a combined 1.67 ERA for Miller and Castillo during the piggyback run. That’s… pretty good. And it’s certainly not a problem. There were problems during those games, but they had nothing to do with what Miller and Castillo were doing against opposing hitters.

The Mariners found themselves in an awkward situation because they frankly have six healthy starting pitchers worthy of getting the ball every five days. Sure, Castillo was off to the worst start of the season out of them all, but the Mariners chose the lesser of three evils: pairing Castillo and Miller together rather than moving Castillo to the bullpen or breaking out a six-man rotation.

You really can’t argue with the results. Especially when you consider that the M’s played an extra-inning game on Sunday without touching their bullpen, meaning they’re completely fresh for the three-game series against the New York Mets that begins Monday night. That’s something that simply never happens.

It’s seemed to help the pitching staff as a whole, too. In the 11 games since the first piggyback, the Mariners’ opponents have averaged just 2.91 runs per game. If that’s all you’re giving up, you’re going to win a lot – like the Mariners have over the past two weeks.

So give credit where it’s due. The piggyback was an odd call that created a lot of controversy and consternation, but it’s been nothing but effective on the field. And since the first time the Mariners used it, they’ve gone 8-3 to surge both over .500 and into command of the AL West lead.

With Emerson Hancock taking off in Miller’s place early in the season, the Mariners were faced with one of those good problems to have when Miller was ready to return from the injured list and make his 2026 debut in mid-May. Seattle had to make a choice, and it went with one you don’t see often.

It was a good choice after all. That’s worth remembering for next time.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Three Mariners having career power months in May
• Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Carlos Vargas and more
• Seattle Mariners GM shares latest on Raleigh, Brendan Donovan

Related

Mariners lose third straight to Athletics 6-2Top prospects among Mariners’ minor league standouts in AugustA’s hit four homers in third inning, beat Mariners 7-6Mariners OF Lazaro Montes exits game after collision with wallEx-GM advises against M’s making manager, front office changesReport: Mariners shut down Matt Brash for rest of season