Seattle Mariners first baseman Rowdy Tellez (23) hits a single in the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 17. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners' Rowdy Tellez Hit an Absolute Blast Off a Pitcher He Was Formerly Traded For

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated Apr 19, 2025 10:49 AM ET

The Seattle Mariners lost 3-1 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night at Rogers Centre. With the loss, the M's are back to .500 at 10-10. The Jays, somewhat of a surprise team in the American League, are now 12-8.

The M's only had five hits, but they had opportunities to score additional runs via two walks and a hit-by-pitch, but multiple baserunning errors foiled those opportunites.

The highlight offensively for Seattle was a mammoth home run by Rowdy Tellez, which was his second of the season. The cool part? The homer came off Bowden Francis, who was traded for Tellez back in 2021. Tellez went from Toronto to Milwaukee with Francis going the other way.

In 2021, the Blue Jays traded Rowdy Tellez to Milwaukee in exchange for Bowden Francis.

Tonight? Tellez took Francis deep.

(: @Mariners)pic.twitter.com/g63uw1UQ5g
— theScore (@theScore) April 18, 2025

Tellez has been out to a slow start this season, hitting just .135 through 37 at-bats, but he does have the power to hit the ball out of the park. An eight-year veteran of the Blue Jays, Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Mariners, he has 107 career blasts, including a career-high 35 in 2022.

He's a lifetime .233 hitter.

The Mariners and Blue Jays will be back in action on Saturday afternoon with first pitch at 12:07 p.m. PT. All-Star Logan Gilbert will take the mound for Seattle while Jose Berrios pitches for Toronto.

Gilbert is 1-1 on the year with a 2.38 ERA and just earned the win in his last start out. Berrios is 1-1 as well, but carries a 5.16 ERA.

The M's and Jays will finish the series out on Sunday morning.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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