SEATTLE — On the day reserved for the celebration of the life and contributions of Jackie Robinson, the reigning winner of the American League Rookie of the Year award, which now is now named after Robinson, offered a reminder of why he won the prestigious award in a near-unanimous vote last season and why he is still the focal point in a Seattle Mariners offense that is slowly starting to gain respectability.
Julio Rodriguez drove in four runs, including a scintillating three-run, stand-up triple punctuating a five-run fourth inning, to lead the Mariners to a 9-2 trouncing of the Colorado Rockies.
While the much of the baseball focus in the Pacific Northwest had centered on Jarred Kelenic and his spectacular start to the season and his streak of consecutive games with a homer, Rodriguez had been relatively quiet coming into the homestand.
He wasn’t struggling, but he also wasn’t doing the “Julio” things at the plate — laser line-drive doubles and monster homers — that we have come to expect.
On Friday night, he snapped a five-game, 28-plate appearance stretch without an extra-base hit with a run-scoring double.
When Rodriguez stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth inning and the Mariners leading 2-1, a second career grand slam was the anticipatory hope of nearly all of the 27,549 fans in attendance.
Instead, they got to see one of the most exciting plays in baseball — a triple. Rodriguez took advantage of a 1-2 fastball from Rockies starter Ryan Feltner that leaked back over the middle of the plate, ripping a hard ground ball between first baseman C.J. Cron and the first base bag. The ball, which had a 107-mph exit velocity, sped into the right-field corner. All three base runners scored with ease while Rodriguez was able to showcase his speed. He never hesitated as he rounded second, with third base his only destination. He didn’t even have to slide, slowing up as he reached the bag with the Rockies not even attempting a throw.
It should be noted that Rodriguez doesn’t get the opportunity for the triple if not for the much-maligned bottom of the Mariners order.
After giving up a leadoff homer to Eugenio Suarez to start the inning and allowing an infield single to Cal Raleigh, Feltner struck out Teoscar Hernandez and Jarred Kelenic to seemingly set himself up to limit the damage. Instead, he walked designated hitter Tommy La Stella, who came into the game batting .077 with his mere presence on the roster bringing great conversation and objection on Mariners social media. That brought second baseman Kolten Wong, who had four hits in 45 plate appearances, to the plate. Wong fell behind 1-2 in the count, but won a 10-pitch battle, fouling off four pitches and working a walk to load the bases.
J.P. Crawford singled to left to give Seattle a 2-1 lead and bring Rodriguez to the plate.
A 5-1 lead would’ve been plenty of run support for starter George Kirby, who was cruising along after allowing a run in the second inning.
But the Mariners turned the game into a blowout, scoring four runs in the sixth inning off lefty Brent Suter. Kelenic led off with a single and the Mariners eventually loaded the bases on a throwing error by first baseman C.J. Cron on a force-out at second out and a Crawford walk.
With another plate appearance with the bases loaded, Rodriguez didn’t get a grand slam or another triple, but he pushed across a run with a fielder’s choice.
The Mariners loaded the bases again when Suter hit Ty France with a pitch.
Rockies manager Bud Black turned to Connor Seabold to work out of the bases-loaded jam.
It didn’t quite go as planned.
Seabold hit Suarez with a pitch to force in a run, walked Cal Raleigh to push another run across and gave up a single to Hernandez that ended his outing.
Kirby worked into the seventh inning before being taken out after allowing a second run. His final line: 6 1/3 innings, two runs allowed on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts to get his first win of the season.