Castillo gets first 2009 homer -- and it's a bomb
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Photos: Mets vs. Giants
Luis Castillo ended a long drought Sunday, hitting his first home run of the season. And it was memorable not only for being his first but for how far it traveled.
With the Mets trailing by a run in the fifth, Angel Pagan hit a two-out double that bounced out of Giants leftfielder Fred Lewis' glove. Castillo then put the Mets ahead with a two-run homer to the second deck in left.
The two-run shot was Castillo's first homer since May 30, 2008, a power outage that spanned 475 at-bats.
"I feel good. I had no home runs. I had to get one," Castillo said. "It was a lucky hit for me. I feel good because we won the game."
Castillo immediately knew it was gone. "I didn't see the ball, but I knew when I hit it," he said. "I'm not a guy who hits a lot of home runs, so I don't wanna be looking it out. When I came in, [Johan] Santana said, 'The big guys hit them there.' "
Castillo, who has raised his average to .304 by hitting .389 with eight runs and five RBIs in his last 11 games, said he wants to put last year - when he hit .245 - in the past and show he can be an effective player. "I've had a good year," he said. "Last year was a tough year. I have to prove [myself] to the fans and the team. I feel much better."
K-Rod finds groove
Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez bounced back from a rough appearance Saturday in which he gave up the winning home run to San Francisco's Bengie Molina in the 10th inning. Rodriguez, who got his first win since July 2, struck out the side on 19 pitches in the ninth inning Sunday . . . After placing David Wright on the 15-day disabled list with post-concussion symptoms, the Mets called up Andy Green from Triple-A Buffalo. Green was hitting .270 with four homers and 18 RBIs in 45 games with Buffalo, Brooklyn and the GCL Mets.
