Castillo has arrived

Castillo is enjoying his meteoric rise

By Kevin Asseo BBC Sport Online's US reporter

Just a few weeks ago, Luis Castillo was toiling in relative baseball obscurity.

Now, suddenly, the Florida Marlins' second baseman is on the front page of every sports section in the country, and for good reason.

Castillo has achieved one of baseball's most rare and impressive feats, hitting safely in over 30 consecutive games.

The single with which he led off Thursday night's rain-shortened 3-0 win over the Cleveland Indians extended his streak to 34 games in row, breaking an 80-year-old record held by the great Rogers Hornsby for longest hitting streak by a second baseman.

Cardinals win for Jack

Only 10 players have ever hit in more consecutive games than Castillo, and only two of those have been in the last fifty years.

If he can manage a hit in his next game, Castillo, a native of San Pedro de Marcoris in the Dominican Republic, will break Benito Santiago's record for longest streak by Latin American player.

Santiago hit safely in 34 straight games during his rookie year with the San Diego Padres in 1987.

Three other players had one-season streaks of 34 games - Dom DiMaggio, brother of Joe, in 1949, George McQuinn in 1934 and George Sisler in 1925.

"Unbreakable" record

The all-time record is held by New York Yankees' Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, who hit in an incredible 56 straight games in 1941.

No one has ever come close to DiMaggio - Pete Rose and Willie Keeler share second place with 44-game streaks - and most likely, no one ever will.

It is a record that most baseball experts have deemed "unbreakable."

But even if Castillo's streak ends tomorrow and DiMaggio's mark remains far in the distance, the Marlins' scrappy leadoff hitter has made a name for himself.

Before the streak, baseball fans would have had a hard time telling you what position or for what team Castillo played, despite the fact that he is in his fourth season as the Marlins' regular second baseman.

In this era of huge biceps and long home runs, Castillo's style of play - hitting the ball on the ground, hustling down the line to beat out infield hits - simply does not draw a lot of attention.

But it is precisely his style that makes him ideally suited to a string together a long hitting streak.

The fastest man in the National League, Castillo uses his speed to the best effect possible, putting the ball in play, preferably on the ground, and forcing the defence to make a good play to throw him out at first base.

Surviving the hype

A switch-hitter, Castillo bats well from both sides of the plate, so he matches up well against just about any pitcher an opponent throws at him.

Those factors are sure to help Castillo extend the streak, but an unknown quantity is how he will react to the building media pressure.

A hitting streak can be very hard, mentally, for a player to handle. Everything happens so fast.

One week, you are a just another player on a mid-level team. The next week, every reporter in the country seems to be following you and every one of your at-bats is carried live on national television.

And the longer the streak gets, the more intense the scrutiny becomes.

So far, Castillo has handled it with aplomb, but now is when things really begin to hot up.

How long the streak will last is anyone's guess. One thing is for sure, though. Luis Castillo has arrived.