perfect timing

Ramon Castro hadn’t done a lot to distinguish himself over an 11-year major league career. Until Thursday, when he became a significant footnote to an historic performance. The former Jackson General was the catcher for Mark Buehrle’s perfect game. Castro, the Chicago White Sox’s backup catcher, had never caught Buehrle before. Odds are he’ll catch him again real soon. Castro was a first-round pick in 1994 by the Houston Astros out of Puerto Rico. He reached Double-A Jackson in 1998, showing promise as both a receiver and a hitter (.256, 8 homers) at Smith-Wills Stadium. The Astros traded him to Florida (for former Mississippi State star Jay Powell), and he debuted with the Marlins in 1999. Then he went to the New York Mets. Now he’s in Chicago. Regardless of whatever else he does there, ChiSox fans will remember Castro for a long time.