Athletics Broadcaster Takes Shot at Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez After Opening Series
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On Sunday, the Seattle Mariners toppled the Athletics by a score of 2-1 at T-Mobile Park. The M's won the game thanks to solid starting pitching from Bryan Woo and a late home run from Julio Rodriguez. It was his first of the year.
After the game, Athletics postgame host Chris Townsend took some shots at Rodriguez, scoffing at the idea that he's a superstar and saying that some people in Seattle may regret that the Mariners gave him a big long-term deal.
Following Sunday’s game, commentator Chris Townsend had some things to say about Julio Rodriguez… #Mariners #TridentsUp #Athletics pic.twitter.com/j3rzdY7HOL
— Mariners Access (@MarinersAccess_) March 31, 2025
To Townsend's point, Rodriguez did have a down year in 2024, hitting .273 with 20 homers and 68 RBIs. However, he's also just 24 years old and is already a two-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger. Even his down year produced a 4.3 WAR, per Baseball Reference. While he may not be an MVP candidate just yet, he is one of the top young players in the entire game and he's someone the Mariners will rely on moving forward.
He followed up his game-winning homer with a two-hit game on Monday: He had a triple and a single as the Mariners lost to the Tigers 9-6 at T-Mobile Park.
The M's will face Detroit again on Tuesday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PT. Casey Mize, who is the former No. 1 pick in the draft, will pitch for the Tigers while Logan Gilbert will make his second start of the year for Seattle. Though he got a no-decision, he threw 7.0 strong innings in the opener.
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NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," where he recaps his trip to Seattle and the M's first five games of the year. What has worked and what hasn't? And we're joined by Tacoma Rainiers broadcasters Andy Helwig and Rylee Pay at the outset of the Triple-A season. CLICK HERE:
WHY POLANCO AT SECOND? After spending the spring getting him acclimated at third base, why did the M's put Jorge Polanco at second on Friday night? CLICK HERE:
COULD JULIO MOVE OFF CF?: We spoke to Buster Olney of ESPN about the idea of preserving Rodriguez's health and his body by possibly moving off CF some day. CLICK HERE:
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