SEATTLE – At 0-2, it looked like déjà vu.
Julio Rodriguez, the once-anointed superstar of the Mariners, was staring down disappointment … along with Houston Astros closer Bryan Abreu.
Abreu hadn’t given up a run in 2025. Rodriguez had just one hit in his previous 19 at-bats. And the Mariners (5-8) were trailing Houston by two runs with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.
Rodriguez was given his $200-million-plus contract to deliver in moments such as these.
His knowledge of this often prompted him to swing for the fences rather than take what was given to him.
So facing a 0-2 count, then watching Abreu’s next pitch dot the outside corner of the plate, you might have thought Rodriguez was about to whiff or hit into a double play. Instead, he knocked an impeccably placed 99 mph fastball to right field for a double that knotted the game at 6.
Three at-bats later, following a Mitch Garver walk that loaded the bases and a Cal Raleigh ground out, Randy Arozarena took a walk that scored Rodriguez and gave the M’s a 7-6 win. Remarkable considering they were down 5-0 at one point in the eighth.
And though the game’s MVP was Arozarena – who also hit a grand slam to cut the lead to 5-4 – it was Rodriguez who may have shown the most growth. He made the correct swing. Tough to say he would have done that a year ago at this time.
“Julio, who wasn’t having the greatest series, came in and knocked one in right when everyone needed it, and that’s what good teams do,” Arozorena said through an interpreter. “It doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how everyone comes in together to pull off a win.”
No, Rodriguez wasn’t having the best series – and neither were the Mariners (5-8). They’d fallen to the Astros 2-1 in 12 innings on Tuesday night and looked destined for their third straight series loss. A defeat Wednesday would have sent them to 4-9 for the first time since 2011, and it would be fair to count Rodriguez as a contributor. He did, after all, come into the game batting .178 after his 0-for-4 performance Tuesday.
Unfortunately, this has become somewhat of a motif with the Dominican center fielder. Despite winning American League Rookie of the Year in 2022, and despite finishing fourth in the AL MVP voting in ’23, Rodriguez has developed a reputation for slow offensive starts. And though he didn’t have his best game Wednesday (he went 1 for 4 with a walk), the M’s would likely be five games below .500 sans his ninth-inning heroics.
“I just had put on a short, compact swing,” Rodriguez said. “He (Abreu) was a really good reliever, and it was big situation like that, but that’s what I’m trying to do – put a solid swing and try to drive the ball, a little line drive back to the pitcher. Just try to square up.
“Obviously, we all know it’s later in the game, but at the end of the day it’s another at-bat. You’re facing a pitcher that’s trying to get you and you’re trying to get a base hit. At the same time, that other at-bat comes with a little bit of extra responsibility.”
Three years ago Wednesday, Rodriguez had perhaps a more significant hit – the first one of his MLB career. It came in the form of a double in the top of the ninth, when the Mariners trailed the Twins 3-2. Like it did Wednesday, the double helped spark a comeback for Seattle, which won 4-3. M’s fans likely saw it as a harbinger of what’s to come.
Perhaps they are in store for many more of these moments.
Funny how a few swings can be the difference between hope and despair. Being 5-8 is a long way from impressive, but to come back against the reigning division champs the way the Mariners did Wednesday will make Thursday’s off day a whole lot more relaxing. They had no business winning that game. But a team effort headlined by Arozorena’s eighth-inning homer and Rodriguez’s ninth-inning double has shifted the mood with this team.
Doesn’t mean it will last, of course. Remember, the M’s rallied back to beat the A’s 4-2 on opening day thanks to a three-run home run in the eighth, then lost eight of their next 11. Baseball euphoria has a short expiration date.
But if the Mariners are going to do anything significant this season, those clutch hits in these close games are going to be necessary. And it’s going to be on their most-talented player – Rodriguez – to regularly deliver.