Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez Enters 2025 Season in Elite Class of Baseball History
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SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners beat the Athletics 4-2 on Thursday night as part of Opening Day festivities at T-Mobile Park.
Logan Gilbert threw 7.0 strong innings and Randy Arozarena and Jorge Polanco each hit massive homers as part of the victory. Andres Munoz earned the save in his first attempt of the season.
Julio Rodriguez went 0-for-3 with a walk at the plate and while he didn't contribute much offensively, he enters the season in a special group of baseball history, according to @OptaSTATS on social media.
Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr. are both entering their fourth season. They are the only two players in MLB history to have both 80+ home runs and 80+ stolen bases through their first three seasons.
Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr. are both entering their fourth season. They are the only two players in MLB history to have both 80+ home runs and 80+ stolen bases through their first three seasons. pic.twitter.com/a4oG18zXR8
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) March 27, 2025
Witt is one of the best players in the sport and is coming off a second-place finish in the American League MVP voting, so being lumped in with him is certainly a good thing for Rodriguez.
Rodriguez, 24, is a two-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger. He's coming off a year in which he hit .273 with 20 homers and 68 RBIs. He batted an ankle injury in the middle of the season and also battled some inconsistency that he's looking to overcome this season.
The Mariners gave him nearly 50 at-bats in spring training with the hope that he can get out to a better start. It's something they did for several regulars.
The Mariners will take on the Athletics again on Friday night with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. PT.
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