Seattle Mariners Superstar Passes Hall of Famer in History as Strong Finish Continues

The Seattle Mariners may not make the playoffs in 2024, but Julio Rodriguez is certainly putting a nice bow on his season with a strong finish.

Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the fifth inning at Globe Life Field on Sept 20. / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Seattle Mariners superstar Julio Rodriguez hit two home runs on Friday night as the M's beat the Texas Rangers 8-2 at Globe Life Field.

Though it's been a down year for Rodriguez, he's certainly doing his best to finish strong. He's hitting .280 over his last 30 games, .329 over his last 15 and .438 over his last seven.

With eight games to play, Rodriguez now has 18 homers and 59 RBI. With a great last week-plus, he could still have a 20/20 season in his "down" year.

With the two blasts, Rodriguez also now has 78 career homers, which put him past former M's star and Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre on a fun list in baseball history.

Per @StatsCentre:

Most career home runs by a Dominican-born player at age 23 or younger:
125- Juan Soto
114- Albert Pujols
90- Cesar Cedeno
81- Fernando Tatis Jr.
78- Julio Rodriguez (Thanks to him hitting 2 in Friday's 8-2 @Mariners win vs TEX)
76- Adrian Beltre
74- Rafael Devers
64- Nomar Mazara

Most career home runs by a Dominican-born player at age 23 or younger:
125- Juan Soto
114- Albert Pujols
90- Cesar Cedeno
81- Fernando Tatis Jr.
78- Julio Rodriguez (Thanks to him hitting 2 in Friday's 8-2 @Mariners win vs TEX)
76- Adrian Beltre
74- Rafael Devers
64- Nomar Mazara pic.twitter.com/KxNntlqmS3

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) September 21, 2024

Rodriguez was an All-Star and a Silver Slugger in each of his first two seasons and though neither of those will happen in 2024, hopefully he's unlocked something that can carry into 2025.

The Mariners enter play on Saturday at 79-75 on the season. They have a 7.0 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Fangraphs. They will play the Rangers again on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. PT.

Emerson Hancock will get the ball against future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, who is likely to be on a pitch count after returning from injury.

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