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Watch: Julio Rodriguez robs Yankees of HR with absurd catch
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) runs onto the field before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Watch: Mariners' Julio Rodriguez robs Yankees of HR with absurd catch

On Wednesday, Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez redeemed himself in their three-game home stand against the New York Yankees.

In Game 1 on Monday, Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham homered in the third inning off a ball that bounced off Rodriguez's glove over the fence. The Mariners star exacted his revenge in Game 3.

At the top of the first inning, Rodriguez robbed Grisham of a home run. He tracked the ball, leaped above the left-center field wall and made the spectacular grab. (It came against a 96 mph four-seam fastball from starting pitcher Luis Castillo.)   

The catch fooled Grisham, who rounded second base before realizing he was out, via The Athletic's Brendan Kuty. It also stunned Mariners play-by-play announcer Rick Rizzs.  

"Julio, you got me," Rizzs said during the KIRO-AM broadcast (h/t Zac Hereth of the radio station's website).  

Rodriguez has cemented himself as one of the top defensive outfielders in baseball. Entering Wednesday's game, the two-time All-Star had posted an outstanding 1.000 fielding percentage through 41 games. 

Rodriguez has nicknamed center field at T-Mobile Park in Seattle the "No Fly Zone." He earned the right to do that by making catches like the one he did on Wednesday.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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