The Seattle Mariners turned in a clunker on Friday night, losing 3-2 to the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. The loss drops the M's to 55-49, but more importantly, it means they didn't pick up a game on the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, all of which lost.
Seattle remains five back of Houston in the American League West and currently sits in the No. 2 spot in the wild card picture.
Despite the loss, it was an excellent day at the plate for Julio Rodriguez, who went 2-for-5 with two home runs and two RBIs. He now has 17 homers for the season, and three homers for the series.
He also joined some franchise legends in team history, per @MarinersPR:
This marks the 5th multi-HR game of Julio Rodríguez's career (last: 9/20/24 at TEX).
He is just the 3rd @Mariners player to record 5+ multi-HR games at age-24-or-younger, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (14) and Alex Rodriguez (14).
This marks the 5th multi-HR game of Julio Rodríguez's career (last: 9/20/24 at TEX).
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) July 26, 2025
He is just the 3rd @Mariners player to record 5+ multi-HR games at age-24-or-younger, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (14) and Alex Rodriguez (14). https://t.co/9Ntka8WM3v
Joining Griffey and Alex Rodriguez in any category of team history is a huge accomplishment, considering they are arguably the two most talented players in franchise history.
In total, Junior played 22 years with the Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, he was also an MVP winner and a 10-time Gold Glover.
Drafted No. 1 overall in the 1993 MLB Draft, Alex Rodriguez made his debut with the Mariners in 1994, staying through the 2000 season. He made the All-Star team four times with the Mariners and won a batting title in 1996. He also hit 42 homers and stole 46 bases in an incredible 1998 season. He helped the Mariners to the playoffs in the 1995, 1997 and 2000 campaigns.
Julio Rodriguez is now hitting .255 for the season. He's a three-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger already.
The Mariners and Angels will play again on Saturday at 6:38 p.m. PT.
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