Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez Joins Club with Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez
The Seattle Mariners had a very good July 4th holiday. First, the M's beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-0, to run their winning streak to four games.
With that, they moved back to .500 at 42-42 and continue to remain on the outskirts of the American League playoff chase.
Then, the M's learned that both Julio Rodriguez and George Kirby would be going to the All-Star Game as replacements for Yordan Alvarez and Shane McClanahan, respectively.
Those selections have added meaning for the M's, seeing as the game is in Seattle for the first time since 2001.
It's the first selection for Kirby, while Rodriguez is appearing for the second straight year. His inclusion put him in an incredible club in team history.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Julio Rodríguez is the 3rd Mariners player to make multiple All-Star teams before the end of his age-22 season, joining: Alex Rodriguez (3) Ken Griffey Jr (3)
Griffey is the best and most revered player in franchise history while Rodriguez is also one of the best players to ever roll through Seattle, so to be included alongside them is something meaningful in terms of Rodriguez's development.
He's hitting .248 this season with 13 homers and 47 RBI. He's also stolen 20 bases. Though his overall numbers look low, he's gotten hot lately, recording multi-hit games in 17 of his last 38 games.
Rodriguez won the American League Rookie of the Year in 2022 when he hit .284 and had 28 home runs. He also helped the Mariners break the playoff drought and beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the wild card round.
The All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 11. Rodriguez will also compete in the Home Run Derby the night before.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS DURING ALL-STAR WEEK in Seattle, per MLB.com:
Friday, July 7: HBCU Swingman Classic (7:30 p.m. ET)
Saturday, July 8: All-Star Celebrity Softball Game and MLB Futures Game (Futures Game 4 p.m., softball game after)
Sunday, July 9: MLB Draft, Rounds 1-2 (7 p.m. ET)
Monday, July 10: Home Run Derby (8 p.m. ET)
Tuesday, July 11: All-Star Game (8 p.m. ET)
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