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Mariners fans go bonkers after Julio Rodriguez’s 1st career playoff HR
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- Mariners fans go bonkers after Julio Rodriguez’s 1st career playoff HR
The post Mariners fans go bonkers after Julio Rodriguez's 1st career playoff HR appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Seattle Mariners ' 2025 postseason got underway on Saturday in the team's ALDS matchup with the Detroit Tigers . The Mariners clinched the AL West and earned a Wild Card round bye as the league's No. 2 seed. Seattle awaited the winner of the Tigers-Guardians ALWCS showdown.
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Game 1 of the Division Series was scoreless through the first three and a half innings as Mariners starter George Kirby dueled Detroit's Troy Melton . But Julio Rodriguez got Seattle on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff home run.
Rodriguez belted a 97 mph four-seamer 413 feet to center field for his first career postseason homer, per Talkin' Baseball. The blast gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead.
Julio Rodriguez provides power in Mariners' ALDS opener
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Tigers finally got to Kirby in the fifth inning, scoring two runs on a Kerry Carpenter homer. But Rodriguez answered back in the sixth inning. The three-time All-Star chased reliever Rafael Montero from the contest with a game-tying RBI single.
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Rodriguez entered the day slashing .217/.357/.435 with three doubles and a triple but no home runs in five career postseason games. He accumulated those stats in his debut season with the Mariners in 2022, when the team last reached the playoffs.
The former AL Rookie of the Year put together another strong campaign for Seattle in 2025. Rodriguez became the first player ever to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in each of his first four seasons. And Rodriguez didn't stop there. He joined the 30/30 club for the second time, finishing the year with 32 homers and 30 stolen bases.
The Mariners loaded up at the trade deadline, bringing in Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor to help with a playoff push. The additions worked out for the team as Seattle overtook the Houston Astros and claimed the division crown for the first time since 2001.
Unfortunately, the Mariners' extra firepower fell a bit short on Saturday. Seattle lost Game 1 of the ALDS 3-2 in extra innings.
Related: Tigers' Zach McKinstry's 11th-inning heroics lift Detroit to win vs. Mariners
Related: Why Mariners could be without Josh Naylor during ALDS
