Julio Rodriguez Makes Rare Baseball History with Late Home Run on Thursday
With his home run in the bottom of the ninth inning on Thursday night, Seattle Mariners' star Julio Rodriguez made a little recent baseball history.
Rodriguez tied the game with the Chicago White Sox at 2-2 by depositing a 99 MPH fastball from Michael Kopech into the right field stands. Unfortunately, the M's would go on to lose 3-2 in 10 innings.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com on social media, Rodriguez's ability to catch up to the fastball is nearly unparalleled in the last 16 years:
2 HR off 99.0+ mph pitches in a calendar month, pitch-tracking era (2008):
2024 June Julio Rodríguez
2022 July Corey Seager
2021 July Luis Urías
2021 June Rafael Devers
2 HR off 99.0+ mph pitches in a calendar month, pitch-tracking era (2008):
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 14, 2024
2024 June Julio Rodríguez
2022 July Corey Seager
2021 July Luis Urías
2021 June Rafael Devers https://t.co/Bs7gcypqE6
Rodriguez also hit a home run off Oakland Athletics' flamethrower Mason Miller this month, but unfortunately that also came in a loss.
It's been a slow year for Rodriguez in the power department, but no one can accuse him of not having great bat speed or the ability to catch up to the best fastballs in the game. He's got six home runs and 26 RBI this season to go along with 16 stolen bases. Rodriguez, a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, is hitting .268.
The Mariners will need him to get hot if they are going to pull away in the American League West and win the division for the first time since 2001.
The M's enter play on Friday at 40-31 and in front of the Texas Rangers by 5.5 games in the division.
They'll host the Rangers for three games this weekend at T-Mobile Park.
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