SEATTLE -- On a day that they had two deep flyouts that Statcast suggested would¡¯ve been homers in calm conditions, all it took for the Mariners to break through on Sunday was one big swing from Julio Rodríguez.
Because even T-Mobile Park¡¯s blustery marine layer couldn¡¯t contain this one. Heck, Yellowstone might¡¯ve had a tough time keeping it in the yard.
Rodr¨ªguez demolished a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning that left his bat at 113.3 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 438 feet to the upper deck in left field, sending Seattle on its way to a 2-1 win over the A¡¯s that split the four-game Opening Week series and salvaged what was otherwise an extremely quiet weekend at the plate.
It was the third-hardest-hit homer of Rodr¨ªguez¡¯s career; the only two ahead both came during his American League Rookie of the Year Award-winning season in 2022.
¡°It's important for everybody to do their end,¡± Rodriguez said. ¡°It's a team. And I feel like the pitching staff does really well. For me to do well, it's also that we have nine guys on the lineup. It's not just me.¡±
The center fielder ambushed a first-pitch slider from left-hander JP Sears -- who¡¯d stymied Seattle with breaking balls all afternoon to that point -- and pulled it to the area of the ballpark that was yielding far more favorable wind conditions.
Rodr¨ªguez had been off to a 1-for-11 start with an Opening Day single before Sunday¡¯s big breakthrough, on the heels of a strong Spring Training (.918 OPS in 17 games), when he made a pointed effort to get more Cactus League at-bats than usual.
¡°He holds himself to just the highest standard as anybody, and he puts the most pressure on himself as well,¡± said Bryan Woo, who was brilliant in his 2025 debut. ¡°So I think that was a kind of a sigh of relief for him and obviously a big moment for the team.¡±
The moment did, too, spin some good fortune in Seattle¡¯s favor after Mitch Garver and Randy Arozarena were each hindered by wind conditions that resulted in deep flyouts earlier.
Garver punched a fastball 104.2 mph off his bat and to the right-center warning track in the second inning that, according to Statcast, was blown in by 20 feet and to the left by 15 feet, reaching a projected 360 feet and coming up short of the fence.
Arozarena¡¯s was even more glaring. With a 105.4 mph exit velocity against a changeup to straightaway center, his ball was blown in by 28 feet and pushed 12 feet to the left, where it was caught by center fielder JJ Bleday in front of the wall at the ballpark¡¯s deepest point.
¡°It seemed like anything that was center field or to right was getting knocked down,¡± Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. ¡°But balls going to left field were taking off.¡±
That said, the environment didn¡¯t impact Rodriguez¡¯s approach.
¡°Hitting is already difficult,¡± Rodriguez said. ¡°So I just felt like they obviously ran unlucky because, like, they both hit the ball really well but they just kind of fell right into the wind. And I just felt like I got a good pitch, got it out front and I was able to drive it.¡±
Moreover, Rodriguez also took advantage of the pitch being Sears¡¯ only real mistake on an otherwise brilliant afternoon.
¡°That¡¯s the only slider he left in the zone,¡± A¡¯s manager Mark Kotsay said.
In seven games against Sears since he joined the A¡¯s in 2022, the Mariners are 6-for-43 against his slider, including 0-for-5 with three strikeouts on Sunday before Rodriguez went deep.
The homer represented the Mariners¡¯ lone run production for an offense that has plated just eight in four games, but with Woo¡¯s remarkable outing -- one run on a wind-aided solo homer to Tyler Soderstrom, his third of the series -- it was just enough. In seven starts against the team that used to play in his hometown, Woo is now 6-0 with a 0.72 ERA.