The Mariners were staring at another flat ending against an ace, another night where a strong pitching effort might get swallowed up by the scoreboard. Then Julio Rodríguez stepped in and flipped the whole thing with one pitch.
Rodríguez crushed a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning Thursday, turning a three-run deficit into a 4-3 Seattle win over the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park. The blast capped a four-run frame and gave the Mariners two wins in the three-game series.
It also kept Seattle’s fading postseason hopes hanging around. The Mariners moved to 69-78 and stayed six games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West. The math is still brutal, but Rodríguez made sure the night didn’t end quietly.
For six innings, Jacob deGrom looked every bit the force Seattle couldn’t solve. He retired the first 15 hitters he faced, gave up just one infield single and struck out 12 before leaving with Texas ahead 3-0. From there, the Mariners finally found some life against reliever Jakob Junis.
Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch and moved up on a wild pitch. Dominic Canzone followed with a single that brought him home, and Cal Raleigh added another single to put two runners on for Rodríguez.
Seattle’s center fielder didn’t wait around. He jumped on the first pitch, lining a sinker over the Texas bullpen in left field for his 21st homer of the season.
That swing gave the Mariners the lead and wiped away what had been a wasted outing from Logan Gilbert. The right-hander gave Seattle seven innings, allowing three runs on three hits while walking two and striking out 11. He picked up his 12th win, and the game also carried a quirky twist: both Gilbert and deGrom attended Stetson University.
Andrés Muñoz handled the ninth and finished off his 27th save.
The win didn’t change Seattle’s overall position much. The Mariners are still below .500, still buried in the standings and still facing long odds with little time left. But on a night when deGrom was overpowering and Gilbert was sharp enough to win most games, Rodríguez delivered the one swing that mattered.
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Mariners Closing Stretch Comes Down To Randy And Julio
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Arozarena is shaping up to be one of the clubs most important offseason decisions, with a qualifying offer for 2027 expected and the bigger question being whether Seattle can work out something longer term. Julios situation is different but no less central to the Mariners outlook, because his recent uptick has offered at least a hint of the player this lineup needs him to be. For a team already looking past this year, how those two finish may say a lot about what the next one is supposed to look like. [Read more 🡒]