Starlin Castro's trust in his abilities have paid off in big way for Cubs

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Seven weeks ago, Starlin Castro was at the lowest point in his career.

Now, 41,000 people and all of his teammates clap along in unison as he steps to the plate.

Castro's walk-up song - "Ando En La Versace" by Omega El Fuerte - is so catchy, even opposing players want to join in on the clapping and stomping (Pirates catcher Francisco Cervilli told Castro he wanted to take his glove off and clap along over the weekend).

Since being benched in early August, Castro has been on a roll, hitting .369 with a .992 OPS in 41 games (25 starts). The Cubs are 24-17 in games he plays in during that span.

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In September alone, Castro is hitting .407 with a 1.149 OPS, nine extra-base hits (four doubles, a triple and four homers), 18 RBI and 11 runs in 21 games (14 starts). He also has eight multi-hit games.

"How about Starlin? Starlin's September has been a big part of our success right now," manager Joe Maddon said. "Good at-bats in clutch situations. He's been wonderful."

Castro was heralded as a franchise player for the Cubs for the last half-decade while the team was finishing in fifth place every season. It would have been easy - and even understandable - for him to hang his head and wallow in the benching.

But Castro never did that.

"I just kept my confidence, my head up and my mind strong," Castro said. "I've been through a lot of bad things. It's made me think too much sometimes, but I've just kept it strong and been available for the team.

"I never put my head down. I know my talent. I trust my talent. I was always confident good things are coming up."

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His walk-up song is giving him confidence, too.

With the entire stadium clapping along to the beat, Castro called it "the most emotional thing" he's ever been through and said it pumps him up when walking to the plate.

The funny thing is, Castro actually didn't want to have "Ando En La Versace" as his only walk-up song, but he said the guy who handles the music convinced him that people love it and it should stay in the rotation.

Now it's a cult hit and the Cubs are a playoff team.

For the first time in his Cubs career, Castro is on a team that will be playing in the postseason, a fact he discussed with fellow franchise cornerstone Anthony Rizzo Saturday after the Cubs clinched a playoff berth Friday night.

"We talked about it in the middle of the game on the field," Castro said. "We're grateful. We went through a lot of bad things and finally, we get into the playoffs, which we worked so hard for."

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