Julio Rodríguez Reaches 100 RBIs as Seattle Mariners Sweep Oakland Athletics
OAKLAND, California — The Seattle Mariners completed a three-game series sweep against the Oakland Athletics with a 6-3 victory on Wednesday, further solidifying their position in the tight race for the top spot in the American West division. Dominic Canzone was the star of the game for the Mariners, contributing a home run and four RBIs.
In addition to Canzone’s impressive performance, Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh hit back-to-back home runs, bringing Seattle’s total number of homers for the season to 200. This marks the seventh time in franchise history that the Mariners have reached this milestone. Raleigh’s double also set a record for Mariners catchers, with 52 extra-base hits in a season.
With a record of 84-68, the Mariners are currently trailing the Texas Rangers (84-68) and the Houston Astros (85-68) in the Western Division standings. Both the Rangers and Astros also emerged victorious in their respective games on Wednesday. However, Seattle remains in the race for the third and final wild-card playoff spot in the American League, tied with the Rangers and one game behind the Toronto Blue Jays.
Rodríguez’s achievement of reaching 100 RBIs is particularly noteworthy. At just 22 years old, he joins the elite company of players who have hit at least 30 home runs, stolen 30 bases, and recorded 100 RBIs in a season. The only other players to accomplish this feat at such a young age are Alex Rodriguez in 1998 and Venezuelan Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2019.
On the pitching front, George Kirby delivered a solid performance for Seattle, allowing three runs on eight hits in seven innings while striking out three batters. Justin Topa closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning to earn his third save. Joey Estes took the loss for the Athletics.
In terms of individual player performances, Julio Rodríguez went 1-4 at the plate with one run scored and an RBI, while Teoscar Hernández went 1-5. Venezuelan Eugenio Suárez contributed with a 1-4 performance and one run scored. On the Athletics’ side, Colombian Jordan Díaz struggled, going 0-4 at the plate.
The Mariners will now look to build on their successful sweep of the Athletics as they continue their push for a playoff spot.