Mariners trio joins rare company in win over Astros

First baseman Josh Naylor's homer for the Seattle Mariners had little bearing on the outcome of the game. 

His home run was the final blow in Seattle's 4-0 win over the Houston Astros on Friday, the fourth and final solo homer of the game. That victory moved the Mariners back into first in the AL West, breaking their tie with the Astros as the final week of the regular season approaches.

However, Naylor's home run put the Mariners into the MLB record books. That home run was his 20th of the season, giving the Mariners three players with 20+ homers and 20+ steals — Naylor (20 homers, 27 steals), and outfielders Randy Arozarena (27 homers, 28 steals) and Julio Rodriguez (31 homers, 27 steals).

Mariners join exclusive company by reaching rare feat

They became the fourth team to have three players with at least 20 homers and 20 steals in the same season, joining the 1988 Mets (Howard Johnson, Kevin McReynolds and Darryl Strawberry), the 2003 Yankees (Alfonso Soriano, Aaron Boone and Raul Mondesi) and the 2009 Phillies (Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth). Naylor, like Boone and Mondesi in 2003, reached those marks across two different teams.

The Mariners' trio could have company. Catcher Cal Raleigh has grabbed headlines with his historic season behind the plate as he leads the majors with 56 home runs. Raleigh has also stolen 14 bases heading into Saturday, picking his spots effectively. Although it is doubtful that Raleigh will steal six more bases over the final few games of the regular season, he has already surprised with his performance in 2025.

For Naylor, that spot in baseball history adds to a solid performance as he is slated to reach free agency this offseason. He has produced a .289/.348/.457 batting line in 582 plate appearances between the Diamondbacks and Mariners, hitting 20 homers and 26 doubles while stealing 27 bases. His all-around performance should make him an attractive option on the open market.