Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez went deep on Sunday afternoon to become the first player in major league history with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in each of his first four seasons.
There is a reason why Josh Naylor is always so intense
Rodríguez was already one of just two players in MLB history – along with Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. – to reach the 20-20 mark in each of his first three seasons. Witt needs just four more homers this year to join Rodríguez as the only players to open their career with four straight 20-20 campaigns.
At age 24, Rodríguez now already has more 20-20 seasons than any other player in Mariners franchise history. Alex Rodriguez achieved the feat three times with Seattle, while Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Cameron did so twice.
Rodríguez’s historic blast came on a two-run shot in the third inning, when he sent a first-pitch slider from two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom over the right-center-field wall at T-Mobile Park to give Seattle a 3-2 lead.
It also was Rodríguez’s 100th career home run. With 100 career homers and 106 career steals, he’s just the third player in MLB history with at least 100 homers and 100 steals over his first four seasons, joining Bobby Bonds (1968-71) and Darryl Strawberry (1983-86).
Rodríguez, a three-time All-Star, is once again heating up as the summer goes on. After hitting just 11 homers through his first 92 games, he now has nine homers over his past 19.
For the season, Rodríguez is slashing .251/.307/.435 with 20 homers, three triples, 19 doubles, 20 steals and a .742 OPS.
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Salk: This Mariners trade deadline is why they went through rebuild
• Even with distance changed, Cole Young turned heads with huge HR
• Here’s every trade the Seattle Mariners made before MLB deadline
• Seattle Mariners Injury Update: The latest on Miller, Robles
• What Seattle Mariners’ playoff competition did at trade deadline
