Julio Rodriguez Made One of the Worst Plays of His Entire Career on Tuesday
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Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez, one of the best defenders in the sport, made one of the worst defensive plays in his career on Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park.
In the top of the fifth inning, Royals' catcher Salvador Perez hit a fly ball to deep center field. Rodriguez tracked it and gave a jump at the wall, but it wasn't so much a jump to catch the ball, as it was a somewhat dejected effort on a ball that was clearly over the fence for a home run.
The only problem? The ball wasn't out. It hit the wall for a two-run double, and the ball was far to Rodriguez's left, proving that he didn't have a good handle on the blast from the start.
You can see the play below:
Julio Rodriguez missed this ball by a good 10 feet.
— Cooper McCoy (@CooperMcCoyRE) July 2, 2025
Fooled everyone into thinking it was a Home Run he was so far off.
Good to see the Royals score 5 runs through 5 innings. Been a tough June offensively to say the least. pic.twitter.com/8kJav6HCYH
It was certainly an odd sequence from Rodriguez, who could end up winning the American League Gold Glove this season. Earlier in that inning, Rodriguez had done a good job of getting to a Vinnie Pasquantino ball in the gap, only to be unable to reel it in. Perhaps that play was still on his mind during this at-bat.
The Mariners lost the game 6-3 to fall to 44-41 on the season. They remain in front of the Los Angeles Angels by 1.5 games in the battle for the third and final wild card spot. They'll be back in action against the Royals on Wednesday night at 6:40 p.m. PT.
Logan Gilbert (SEA) pitches against Noah Cameron (KC).
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